Posted on 02/27/2020 3:56:50 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
Verse 5 and 6 go together. “Open rebuke,” is like preaching. What good is secret love?
Somebody says, “Well, I just can't say anything to her; I just love her so much!” You don’t love her. What good is it? What good was it for God to love the whole world and do nothing about it? I mean, the next time somebody gives you that business, take him to proverbs 27. Ask, “What good is secret love? It doesn’t do anybody any good. You don’t really love them.”
The Bible says, “He that loveth him [his child] chasteneth him betimes” (13:24). If you really loved them, you’d correct them.
“Open rebuke is better than secret love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend,” like the Lord Jesus, like the preacher; they care for you, “but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” The enemy will flatter, kiss you, kiss your hand, kiss your feet; just to get the advantage of you. Jesus asked, “Judas, betrayest the son of man with a kiss?” (Matthew 22:48). Loving kisses!
In verse 6 the friend refers to Jesus, the kisses refer to Judas.
“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.”
If you have ever really been good and hungry, you’ll understand that. I mean, you sit a kid down his supper table, and they start whining, “Green beans again?” You know that. I’ll tell you what, you let that rascal do without for about three days, he’ll eat all the green beans you stick in front of him and love it. That the problem with America. When kids start complaining about what they're getting to eat, they are eating too much.
When a kid starts complaining about what he’s fed, just send him to his room. “See you later.” You don't complain about the food, you just eat it, and be thankful you got it. That's one thing I like about a strict diet. If you only get one meal a day, I guarantee you, you're ready for anything and everything, as long as it's palatable. And then some. Even water gets to tasting good. That's good for you. It tames that old flesh and that old body.
“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb,” in business, what is law that “the full soul loatheth an honeycomb” refer to? The law of diminishing returns. You can’t sell a hamburger to a full fellow. You know, you get a guy that is really hungry---famished, the first hamburger is worth $25. The second hamburger is worth about $5, and you couldn’t get $0.50 for it. You see, diminishing. When he gets full, he doesn’t need it anymore, he doesn’t want it, so you can’t get so much out of him.
Daily Bible study is necessary if we are going to begin our day with the right attitude and the right spiritual diet. Proverbs has 31 chapters, and most months have 31 days, so let’s read a chapter of Proverbs a day and see what God might have for us. As the Lord leads, share with us what God has shown you in a special way and by His grace let us build up a devotional repository. Let’s keep our knives and forks handy for some daily bread! Ideally, a chapter or two of Proverbs will fit in nicely with a good plan of reading our Bibles through each year.
If anyone would like to be added to the ping list, please let me know either by post or by p.m.
For more books on all topics of the Bible, visit my web site at:
http://baptistbiblebelievers.com/Home.aspx
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.