Posted on 07/24/2021 11:10:57 PM PDT by Pilgrim's Progress
“As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear” (Proverbs 25:12).
“As,” now there is a lot of “as,” and “likes” in the next two chapters of Proverbs and these are things that really tell you some things. These are how God teaches, in other words, He'll make a statement that you will understand, and he'll use that which you understand to explain something maybe you don't understand, and of course; that's a method that Jesus Christ used. He said, “to consider the lilies, they don't toil, or work, or spin,” and all that business. He said “aren't you more important than the lilies?” He said, “if God takes care of them, He'll take care of you.”
He shows you one thing that God takes care of, there's no doubt about that, and then says, “you're more important than them, so God will take care of you.” and then it just kind of fits. You understand it then.
“As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold,” those things are attractive, valuable, and becoming, “so is a wise reprover unto at obedient ear.” In other words, what he will do will be becoming to the individual who received it. Paul speaks a similar truth in Second Timothy:
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (II Timothy 4:2).
That's a reprover upon an obedient listener, and not everybody will listen, and when they won't listen, it's not becoming. It doesn't help them. You see, the Word of God ought to make you better. The Bible says that our conversation is to be becoming to the gospel. In other words, it ought to fit the Gospel. the Gospels are a message of purity, a message of love, a message of godliness. And our lives ought to be becoming to that, and so we need to be rebuked where our lives don't meet up with the Gospel, and they don't match the purity of the Gospel.
So, God is trying to make us look good like He needs for us to preach the Gospel. He wants us to be attractive. Hey, you know really when you get right down to it, if a sinner is not thirsty for Jesus Christ, and thirsty for heaven, he will never drink. The only way he'll ever get thirsty, is if he sees that you have something he doesn't have. It's like a guy standing around with a glass of a refreshing drink in his hand--and it's a hot. And of course, he's tasting it, and my, isn't it wonderful! This is really good! I mean, this just hits the spot! There you stand. You know, you're beginning to salivate.
Well, the Christian’s life should be just like that. It ought to be so appealing and pleasing to a lost person. You know, they start saying, “Man, I wish I had that kind of peace. I wish I had that kind of joy. I wish I had that kind of purpose for living.” that's the kind of life that you should be living, and the only way to get that kind of life is reproof. When the Bible reproves us, when the man of God reproves us; then when the ears are obedient and applies it, and does it, then it's “as an earring of Gold, and an ornament of fine gold.”
That's good for the ladies, because in First Peter chapter 3 he says, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart” (I Peter 3:3-4).
See, there’s the thing that's valuable, there’s the thing that's to be made attractive and to be made becoming; it's the new man—not so much the old man. The problem with Christianity is we wanted a Christianity that is all physical and all visible, and Christianity is more than that. It never was physical and visible in the New Testament. Jesus Christ was a very plain man. The apostles were very plain, and unlearned men. They were anything but physical and visible. They were very spiritual men who had a purpose for living and had joy and had victory that nobody else had.
“so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear,” like Nathan’s reproof of David in Second Samuel 12. He reproves David, and David accepts the reproof and gets right with God. And for David, that's an ornament of golden earrings and that was becoming to him and valuable to him.
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:
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.