Posted on 02/18/2022 10:10:27 PM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth. The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD” (Proverbs 19:2-3).
“Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good” it is better to be poor and to walk in your integrity then that the soul be without knowledge “. . . and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth,” some people are in just too much hurry . . . haste makes waste. That is an axiom of life, people that make decisions in a hurry usually make the wrong decisions.
Some have done that in moving somewhere, or in getting a job, or even in getting married. When we make a hasty decision without honestly giving it time to think over it are now suffering what they call “buyer’s regret.” It isn’t like you can just move back to where you started, considering the expense in the first place. And sadly, in America, there are too many marriages that should have been blessed and fruitful, except that they were with the wrong party—so they are sad and miserable.
Then he spoke about the soul being without knowledge. In the Old Testament, the body and the soul were considered to be the same things. The Holy Spirit used them interchangeable. And for a man to be without knowledge in the Old Testament meant that he couldn’t make a living, he couldn’t supply for his needs, and he couldn’t supply the needs of his family. That was pretty bad. A man like that is tempted to do wrong in order to make ends meet, and to be bitter and be mean.
As to us, we have a body and a soul, and our outward man has learned some things—the wisdom of this world—the Bible tells us that men “are ever learning, yet never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:7). A carnal man knows a lot, but he doesn’t know much truth. He knows a lot of facts, like baseball averages and the like, while their souls are empty. They don’t know about God, they don’t know about grace, and frankly they don’t care one way or the other. When a man’s spiritual knowledge is void of understanding and knowledge, it is not good. This is the definition of a biblical fool. Just think about how much Einstein and Hawking knew, and yet they both died and went to hell. I’d be happier being as dumb as a post and yet knowing that I was going to go to heaven when I die.
There are three axioms here in verses 1-3.
The first, in verse 1 is that it is better to be poor and have character. There is absolutely no substitute for character. Character is all-important in the life of people. American people are by and large a people without character. A person with character is a person that has the ability to do right even when they don’t want to, or don’t feel like it. Character is what a man or a woman is when no one is watching.
This is why a child doesn’t have any character. You will meet very few children that will always do what they are supposed to do when no one is standing over them. They’ll usually start a project and be excited about it at the beginning, but it isn’t very long-lasting. They need a push by an adult. Well, if you keep giving them that needed push whenever they need it, and they keep completing every job they start, in about 18-20 years, it becomes part of their character. Their character will be like an inner-parent pushing them to finish.
This is what is behind verses such as this: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). This does not only apply to spiritual lessons, but practical as well. Raise up your children with a good, healthy work ethic. Make him do right. He likely won’t do it on his own, so make him do the right things.
The second axiom is that for a soul to be without knowledge is not good. You would be better off without every but that.
The third axiom is “he that hasteth with his feet sinneth,” some people are in a hurry to make the big bucks and are in a hurry to make a big name for themselves, but it is better to slow down and get to know God. If those others things are right, God will bring them to pass.
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:
My brother, sister and I were certainly blessed with wonderful parents who taught us well and set the example!
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.