Posted on 12/27/2022 12:30:28 AM PST by Pilgrim's Progress
“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens” (Proverbs 27:23-27).
The whole thing of verses 23 to 27 is just all one passage.
“For riches are not forever,” then they are uncertain, aren’t they.
“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (I Timothy 6:17).
Paul told Timothy not to trust in uncertain riches. You have to be diligent and know that riches don’t last forever.
“The hay appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself,” in other words, get the job done while you can get it done, and that's all it is saying. When you got the opportunity to do it, do it. Take advantage of the opportunity. If you want 26 and 27 to be true than 23-25 means that you need to get busy and be diligent.
“The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goat are the price of the field. You got lambs and goats; old goats, mutton goats, stubborn goats. You got some lambs; they are tender and pliable, and easy to deal with. Then you got goats. Every church has a little bit of both.
In the beginning of your work for the Lord, God will send you people for one reason and one reason only and that's just to finance you until things get going. I've seen it happen. I've seen God just send people who have money and all they really do is put money in the box and kind of pay the bills, and then after the thing really starts getting busy and the heat is on, they are gone. But by that time, you've got a good base. You’ve got good people.
I've seen him come and go. I mean people had money and they were looking for a Bible-preaching church. And for a time, they sat in your church. But when things really started to happen, out the door they go. They are not looking for that responsibility, but God does send them. I thank God for them.
Now, there is innumerable applications to the ministry in the passage. We are God's sheep. All saints of God are sheep, and a preacher is a pastor, he is a shepherd, an undershepherd. He's to be diligent to know the state of his flocks; he is to look well to his herd as we see in First Peter 5:1-4. “As a good shepherd,” Peter said, “feed the flock of God which is among you.”
Now, what does a man earn by feeding the flock, and taking the oversight? What is the promised reward in first Peter 5? A crown. He said, “and doth the crown endure to every generation?” I mean, if you don't take care of the flock, you will lose your crown, plus if you don't raise up other men to learn how to train and take care of the flock, the crown will not be passed on.
You can get your crown out of it, but if you don't teach those principles to somebody else, the crown won't endure. What’s happened is that the church is in disarray. The flock is scattered, and it’s been scattered by bitterness and gossip and stuff and an undisciplined church, and by an undisciplined ministry and the crown is not going to endure. There hasn't been that emphasis on ministering. The emphasis of the ministry is often on soulwinning. Let’s get numbers in here, but it isn’t really emphasizing the need to maintain the ministry. Let’s train men to build churches. We’ve lost that.
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