PROFITING FROM PROVERBS

“Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless: For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee” (Proverbs 23:10-11).

There are some landmarks that absolutely have to stay where they are: Calvary, the Bible, the Local church. We live in an age where it seems that everyone wants to bring everything “up-to-date” with the times. We have to make the Bible and the church relevant. Rats! What we need to do is to make folks repent. We need to go back, not forward.

The Democrats are constantly warning that the Republicans are going to take our country back 50 years. Great! I wish they would take it back 100 years, back to the day when they had some real revivals in this country.

“Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless,” technically, the Jews were given an inheritance, and moving a landmark was stealing land from them: “Some remove the landmarks; they violently take away flocks, and feed thereof” (Job 24:2).

“Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it . . . Cursed be he that removeth his neighbour's landmark. And all the people shall say, Amen” (Deuteronomy 19:14, 27:17).

Ownership of the land was to be retained in the family, but if for some reason they did sell their land to meet debts—that land was to be returned to them at the year of Jubilee.

“. . . and enter not into the fields of the fatherless,” when the patriarch died, the people would take advantage of the widow. They are still doing that today.

“For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee,” God established those landmarks. “Enter not in the fields of the fatherless,” Why? Because “their redeemer is mighty.” It is like a courtroom situation and God will “plead their cause,” and anyone that messes with those ancient landmarks is going to come up on the short end of the stick. It is a direct confrontation with God.

This rule is a serious matter. Solomon also wrote, “Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them” (Proverbs 22:22-23). Moses had written, “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry; And my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless” (Exodus 22:22-24).

Love orphans and widows: go out of your way to help them whenever possible. This is the pure religion of Jesus Christ (James 1:27). The consequences of neglecting them or taking advantage of them are dire. And if you see them being oppressed, the Highest is watching (Ecclesiastes 5:8). He is the Father of the fatherless, and the Judge of widows (Psalm 68:5). Let all abortionists, their legislators and protectors, take heed. Judgment is coming, soon.

No man can get away with doing wrong, because it is going to be made right.

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