Truth Magazine

By Irvin Himmel

Introduction

Proverbs is a book of practical wisdom. Succinct sayings condense this wisdom so that is stirs interest and sticks in the memory. There is a blending of wit that makes wisdom sparkle.

John R. Sampey correctly notes that “wisdom” in this book “includes intellectual insight, practical conduct, and piety.” I like to think of Proverbs as a book of down-to-earth heavenly wisdom.

J. Sidlow Baxter describes the general message of the book as Prudence through Precept. ” A.F. Walls calls it “a book of discipline” which touches on every department of life.

Robert L. Alden compares the book of Proverbs to medicine – often needed but not in large doses. “The ‘stuff of Proverbs has already been distilled so that its advice comes to us in highly concentrated form. These sage tidbits have been boiled down, trimmed, honed, polished, and sharpened to where a little goes a long way.”

The technicalities of the book of Proverbs (literary forms, date of writing, authorship, etc.) have not been my concern in the material appearing in Guardian of Truth. I have selected a sampling of what the book offers. The particular proverbs on which I have written deal with a variety of subjects. My aim has been to probe these pointed gems of wisdom, outlining and illustrating ways in which they are applicable today.

Although I have done precious little preaching on Proverbs, the book is rich with sermon starters. Perhaps some who read Guardian of Truth will be challenged by its contents to take a fresh look at an Old Testament book which provides seed ready for sowing.

The book of Proverbs is refreshingly different. Its approach demands reflection. Its thoughts are crisp. Its spiritual tone enriches. Its instructions are useful. Its communication is profound. Charmed by its colorful comparisons and contrasts, one is led to drink of its prudence.

Knowledge Begins With Reverence

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov. 1:7).

This gem from the gold mine of Proverbs sometimes is considered the motto for the entire book.

Fear of Jehovah

To the minds of some individuals the word “fear” denotes dread, terror, alarm, or fright. They think of that which disquiets or horrifies. This is not the kind of fear which God wants us to have.

The fear which God teaches us to have toward Him is awe 12:13). or reverence, adoration and respect. This holy fear is linked closely with love.

As a young preacher, I once sat in a class of older men on Sunday morning and witnessed a heated discussion between two brethren on the subject of fear and love. One affirmed that mature Christians serve God out of love, not fear; the other argued that fear is the strongest motive for service. Neither bothered to define “fear.” The fear that perfect love casts out (1 Jn. 4:18) is not reverence, but rather the fear that hath torment, that is, dread of horror.

To love God with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind necessitates reverence and respect. This is the “fear of the Lord” that brings blessings to us. “O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him” (Psa. 34:9).

Fear and trust go together. “O Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their shield. . . Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help and their shield” (Psa. 115:11).

Reverential fear should be displayed in worship. David said, “But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple” (Psa. 5:7).

Fear is shown in keeping God’s commandments. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13).

Fear is essential to acceptance with God. Peter said, “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:34,35).

People transgress when there is “no fear of God before their eyes” (Rom. 3:18).

The fear of God molds one’s character. As William Gurnall expressed it, “As the sculpture is on the seal, so will the print of the wax be; if the fear of God be deeply engraven on thy heart, there is no doubt but it will make a suitable impression on the duty thou performest.”

Peter packed a lot of thought into a few words when he wrote, “Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king” (1 Pet. 2:17). To be a Christian one must be a God-fearing individual.

Beginning of Knowledge

The Hebrew word translated “beginning” may mean “the principal part” (marginal note). It is true that the fear of the Lord is the chief part of knowledge. One who has never learned to fear God, no matter what else he has learned, is very much an ignoramus.

The word rendered in English as “beginning” may also mean the starting point or initial step. Indeed, the foundation of true knowledge is the fear of God. Knowledge which is not built on that fear is worthless. Parents ought to teach their children to fear the Lord before they send them off to school to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. And the best way to teach this godly fear is by example.

“Of all things that are to be known this is most evident, that God is to be feared, to be reverenced, served, and worshiped; this is so the beginning of knowledge that those know nothing who do not know this” (Matthew Henry).

Scoffing Fools

Our English word “fool” translates a number of different Hebrew words, so it does not always have the same shade of meaning.

A “fool” may mean a boaster or one who makes a show (Psa. 75:4). It may mean a stupid or silly person (Prov. 1:22,32). It may mean a wicked person (Prov. 17:7). It may mean a thickheaded person (Eccl. 2:19; 10:3).

In Proverbs 1:7, “fool” means one who is evil or perverse. This is the type of fool who is mean enough to despise wisdom and instruction. He does not wish to be told about his conduct, therefore he scorns wisdom and instruction. His love of darkness prompts him to hate the light. He is the fool of all fools!

Realizing that the fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge, let us walk in the fear of the Lord (Acts 9:31). Let us pass the time of our sojourning here in fear (1 Pet. 1: 17). Let us perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Cor. 7: 1). Let us submit ourselves one to another in the fear of God (Eph. 5:21).

Guardian of Truth XXX: 6, pp. 176-177
March 20, 1986

By David McClister

In the previous article of this short series we noted that Jesus was very much concerned about the kind of influence He left before others, and He even refrained from activities in which He could have engaged simply because He was careful not to leave a wrong impression. Some stumbled in spite of Jesus’ perfect walk, but that was not at all intentional on Jesus’ part.

The third type of behavior we wish to examine in the light of Jesus’ example (the two already studied are morally questionable behavior and causing others to sin) also has to do with Jesus’ relations with others.

Would Jesus Live Day-To-Day Thinking Only Of Himself?

One of the most obvious features of the life of Christ was its lack of selfishness. Christ lived a life of giving to others, not of taking for self. He constantly thought about His fellow-man and his well-being, and He put that concern above the concern He had for Himself. It was this very quality which enabled Him to endure the cross for the sins of the world.

But this unselfish quality was not apparent only in the great things Christ did. We see it in everything He did. In Matthew 4, when He was tempted by Satan, He was prodded to think only of Himself (and His physical hunger), and to think of His own pride (and thus receive the kingdoms of the world). But in this hour, when He was not vulnerable, He still refused to think only of Himself. Had He thought of Himself and given in to Satan’s requests even in the least, it would have made it impossible for Him to be our Savior. Jesus is my Savior because He thought of me and my sin problem more than He thought of Himself; because He sacrificed His own comfort for the sake of my well-being. It might have seemed harmless to make just a small cake of bread for Himself, but to do even that would have meant that He was thinking of Himself first. Jesus was triumphant and He is Savior and Lord because He always thought of others. He lived for the sinner, not for self.

There is a single word which describes this attitude of Jesus perfectly. It is the Word love (in the sense of the Greek word agape). Everything Jesus did was motivated by His great love for the lost. In fact, it was the very reason He was sent (Jn. 3:16). What is this love Agape is that attitude (it is not primarily an emotion) which causes us to took for the good of others above our own good. It is that characteristic which causes us to sacrifice our pleasure for the welfare of another. This great love was a quality which lay deep in the heart of Christ and which consequently affected everything He did. It was nothing superficial, to be sure. If we are to be copiers of the example of Christ, then we must instill this same love for our fellow-man deep within us and allow it to govern our every thought and move.

The apostle Paul has given us the grandest description of true love to be found.

Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envietb not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh no account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7).

Note how the lack of any kind of selfishness pervades every characteristic of love which Paul mentions. It is this love which Jesus demands of all of His followers (Jn. 13:34-35). No one can say that he is a disciple of the Lord if he does not love his brethren or his fellow-man; if he will not sacrifice his own interests for the good of others, and do this every hour of every day (for such is the example of Christ). Love is not a once-ina-while thing; it works in all things all the time, and it is restlessly active (see 1 Jn. 3:13-18). Our Lord Himself said that unselfish love for all men is what makes a man like God (Matt. 5:43-48).

The point is clear. Jesus never thought only of Himself, and we, therefore, should put away all selfishness and replace it with love.

Conclusion

If we are going to be followers of Jesus, then we must follow His example in all things, It is not a matter of following 90 percent of His example, or even 99 percent of it. The Lord desires that our obedience be just as complete as we can possibly make it. The rich young man learned this truth the hard way (Matt. 19:16-22). If we truly follow Him, we will keep ourselves pure, set the right example before others, and exercise love towards all.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 6, p. 172
March 20, 1986

By Lewis Willis

I saw it five days before New Year’s Eve. I guess it appeared that early so that everyone’s vision and thinking were clear enough to consider the message. It was a full-page warning with large red and blue headlines that appeared in the public interest in the Akron Beacon Journal (12/27/84). The cost for the statement was underwritten by a large number of businesses and civic organizations in the area. Its purpose was to persuade readers of the dangers associated with drinking and driving. it stated Ohio’s laws and penalties if convicted of driving while intoxicated and listed what it takes for various people to become intoxicated.

It seems that almost daily we are hearing of new organizations being founded to combat the sin of alcoholism and the harm that drunks do to innocent people. Radio and television public service announcements try to alert people to the dangers of this serious national problem. It seems to me that it might help if churches would address this matter and speak out against those who engage in this senselessness. For some reason, I doubt that most religious organizations will join the campaign against drunkenness. They promote too many activities within their churches where alcohol is served (often for profit) to ever speak out against it.

I recently saw some figures published by the U.S. Treasury Department back in 1971 reporting that Americans consumed 381 million gallons of liquor that year. That was an increase of only 11 million gallons over 1970! If our friends and neighbors continued to increase their consumption by that amount each year, today Americans are consuming 535 million gallons of liquor each year! Back then there were 6 1/2 million confirmed alcoholicsm this country. The latest figure I saw is that there are about 10 million today. This evil is systematically destroying this country in which we live.

As more and more people are victimized by this device of the devil, many more people are becoming casual or social drinkers, en route to the pits of alcoholism. As most everything that happens around us ultimately affects the church, it should not come as a shock that some church members are social drinkers. And, the church has remained largely silent about the sin! As homosexuals have climbed out of their closets within our society, social drinkers within the church are gaining more courage and are trying to climb out of the closets to help lead each generation farther away from God. In my files I have an editorial from Truth Magazine (Vol. 7, No. 18) reporting on the 1973 “Preacher’s Workshop” at Abilene Christians College in, which a trustee of the liberal magazine Mission openly defended social drinking. In private discussions, our brethren are more inclined to try to defend the practice of social drinking than they used to be.

Most religions consistently condemn drunkenness. The testimony of the Scriptures is too great to be denied. Many passages could be cited: 1 Corinthians 5:11; 6: 10; 11:21; 1 Thessalonians 5:7; Romans 13:13; Luke 21:34 – all condemn drunkenness. Perhaps the clearest condemnation of all is found in Galatians 5:21ff, where Paul listed drunkenness in a catalog of sins he called the “works of the flesh.” He said those who do such things “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” With this information, we have confidently condemned, drunkenness. However, I am persuaded we have overlooked an important passage. Some have said those passages condemn excessive drinking – not the social drink. The other passage to be considered is Ephesians 5:18 – “and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. An interesting word is used by Paul in this passage. It is the Greek word methuskesthe, 2nd person plural, present, imperative, passive form of the root word methusko. Thayer, Robinson and Bagster consistently define the word “to make drunk, to get drunk, or to grow drunk (an inceptive verb, marking the process of . . . ), to become intoxicated” (p. 341). The clear import of the definition of the term is that we are not to engage ourselves in the process which will make us drunk.

Like other things, drunken comes in stages or by degrees. An honest person will have to admit that drunkenness comes by degree and is the result of the accumulation of alcohol in one’s body. Some parallels would be growing weak, becoming tired or getting sleepy. One is not just suddenly weak, tired or sleepy. He has been engaged in that process that causes him to become weak, etc. In like manner, a man is not just suddenly drunk. He becomes drunk when he has engaged in the process that makes a person drunk, And, it is the process which is condemned by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:18.

How much liquor starts the process? The answer is the veryfirst drop. That means that the social drinker has sinned with his casual drink. Most State and Federal agencies are going on public record in affirming as much. The American Medical Association has been publishing for a number of years a documentary entitled, “Physician’s Guide For Determining Driver Limitation.” State Troopers distribute it readily. The copy I have was given to me by a Texas State Trooper several years ago when I was researching this subject., The AMA said, “Laboratory studies show, for example, thatjudgment, visual perception and tolerance, to glare begin to be impaired at blood alcohol levels as low as .035 percent and that definite impairment of muscular performance and reaction time exists at levels of .05 percent. These imparied functions are indicative of persent drunkenness.” In other words, when a person starts drinking he loses his ability to think, see and move in reaction to the things going on about him and this is why he ends up killing so many people when he is trying to drive. The state says you are legally drunk at 10 percent or high.

For instance, to get there, the state of Ohio presents these statistics. If you weigh 140 pounds and you drink one 12-ounce beer, your ability to think and see is impaired, according to the American Medical Association. If in an hour that 140 pound person drinks two 12-ounce beers, the AMA says that his muscles don’t perform as they normally would and so he cannot react normally to danger. Three beers in an hour brings this person to .08 percent blood alcohol content and four beers in an hour brings him to .11 percent he is drunk and on his way to jail if he is caught by police.

If Paul knew what he was talking about when he forbade engagement in the process of getting drunk, the American Medical Association and State Regulatory Agencies have given us evidence confirming that social drinking is drunkenness. I was just thinkin’, the brother who says a couple of beers makes him feel good is confessing his sinfulness. He is just becoming drunk and does not have the “judgment” to perceive what is happening to himself.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 6, pp. 171, 183
March 20, 1986

By Don Givens

There is much said regarding a “preacher shortage” in our time, and I certainly agree that we need more and more qualified and dedicated gospel preachers. Satan has far too many ministers. Yet there is another shortage of which we hear and discuss too rarely; that is the shortage of qualified, working shepherds over the local flocks.

There is an urgent need, all over America and in other lands where there are congregations of the Lord’s people, for men to become scriptural bishops, pastors, overseers. It is my judgment that many congregations should have elders, but do not have them.

How many young men are busy working, studying, and praying so that in future years they may serve as elders? (Are you encouraging, or discouraging your sons to become elders in their maturity?) We know that to become a good gospel preacher takes time, study, and effort (1 Tim. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 2:1-7; 4:1-7): have we forgotten that the same is true regarding elders? The best advice I could give to any young man starting out in his spiritual life is: live so that someday you might be an elder in the Lord’s church. That young man will then nurture his spiritual training, enlarge his Bible knowledge, and keep his reputation pure!

The reason many local churches do not have elders even after several years is because the individual men have not been working for several years to qualify themselves. Elders do not “grow on trees” overnight.

Men, as they mature, should desire the work of shepherding the flock, with a proper and godly motive. What can we do to encourage more men to desire this good work (1 Tim. 3:1)? One thing we can do is love, honor, and obey the good elders we do have in scripturally organized congregations (Heb. 13:17). But if you are a member of a congregation which does not have shepherds, then do what you can to arrive at that goal!

If you are a young man, start right now to study, pray, and work hard to fulfill the qualifications later in your lifetime. Keep yourself pure! Remember that your “personal decisions” in dating, marriage, and business ethics will affect thousands of other people during the course of your lifetime!

If you are an older, more mature man, and you have the biblical qualifications, then desire the good work. Why hide your talents? Why rob the church of your leadership? Why bury your talent in the ground?

If you are a female Christian, then become such a temperate and faithful woman that you would be an asset as an elder’s wife (1 Tim. 3:11).

There is a crying need for shepherds in various local flocks all over this land and on foreign fields. I have preached the gospel from Florida to Ontario, Canada to California to Texas, back to Canada, in Washington and now in Hawaii, and the same urgent need stares one in the face in all places: the crying need for shepherds over the local flocks. No wonder the sheep go astray when there are no shepherds to lead them (Acts 20:28)! No wonder the sheep starve when no shepherds are there to feed them (1 Pet. 5:1-5)! No wonder wolves destroy the flock when there are no shepherds there to protect (Acts 20:29-31)!

Brethren, God has a reason for appointing “elders in every church” (Acts 14:23). Do you have a better reason for not having them?

Guardian of Truth XXX: 6, p. 173
March 20, 1986