Bastards are a big problem, especially to kings. Solomon warned his son to avoid whores, lest he pollute his family tree. A wise man delights in a legitimate family of children, but one consequence of sexual sin can be the painful difficulties of bastards or stepchildren. Sex is mainly for pleasure, though a church in Rome says different. Sex is also to reproduce, as a husband and wife can create a family by God blessing their lovemaking. Such a marriage is called wedlock, because other spouses or children are locked out! Solomon warned his son against sexual sins (Pr 5:1-23).
Though the world calls it casual sex, God calls it fornication, adultery, and whoredom, and He will judge every violator (Heb 13:4). As part of the lesson, he exhorted his son to maximize his sexual pleasure with his wife only (Pr 5:15,19-20). He then added the precious incentive of having a legitimate family without any confusion of it by other women or children (Pr 5:16-18). The plural pronoun “them” in the first clause, “Let them be only thine own,” are the fountains and rivers of waters of the previous verse, which are the legitimate children and descendants of a good and noble man (Pr 5:16).
The children must all be legitimate by his lawful wife to maximize the pleasure, peace, reputation, and power of a great family. Godly men, great men, understand the value of a large, happy, and prosperous family (Ps 107:41; 127:3-5; 128:1-6). They know it is one of the great blessings and goals of life. They are not like today’s perverts, who choose other men for their lovers or use women for sex with neither marriage nor children desired. A great family is a valuable motive for godly men to avoid whorish women. Wise parents will include this in their child training. The “strangers” of the second clause are whores (Pr 23:27). Kings have had mistresses from the beginning, because of their power and wealth. King Solomon warned his son to limit sex to his wife (Pr 5:19-20). He used the euphemism “strange woman” often (Pr 2:16; 5:3,20; 6:24; 7:5; 23:27; Judges 11:1-2). She is a stranger in that she is foreign to his marriage bed; he has no right to intimacy with her, for he promised all lovemaking to his wife. Though he may know her well personally, she is outside his sexual territory. God allowed polygamy because of the hardness of men’s hearts (Matt 19:8).
Though He could easily have created many wives for Adam, He chose one wife for each man for a very good reason (Mal 2:14-15) – godly children. Polygamy corrupts families, as the Old Testament history shows, even though polygamy actually involved legitimate marriages. Sarah encouraged her husband Abraham to take a second wife named Hagar. But as soon as Hagar conceived, even before any children were born, the envy and trouble had started (Gen 16:1-6). When each wife had birthed a son for Abraham, the rivalry came out in the open, and Abraham’s polygamous family was ripped apart permanently (Gen 21:1-11). David’s sons fought among themselves, because David had polluted his family tree by polygamy (I Chron 3:1-9). Solomon had witnessed this deadly conflict personally, when Absalom killed Amnon for molesting his half-sister (II Sam 13:1-39). And he had experienced it himself, when Adonijah tried to steal his throne (I Kgs 1:1-53; 2:12-25). Adultery is far worse than polygamy, for there is no commitment or marriage at all. Children conceived by adultery do not have two loving parents, for one parent is missing from the child’s home, and the stepparent may not have strong affection for the stepchild. It is such troubles of a mistress conceiving that Solomon warned his son and you against. But how much worse are children stolen from opposite-sex intercourse to provide children for two men or two women in same-sex sham marriages? Even nature itself condemns such unions and denies them ability to reproduce (Rom 1:24-27,31; I Cor 6:9; I Tim 1:10; II Tim 3:3), yet they want the result of opposite-sex love! Solomon never saw such perversity! The proverb applies even more powerfully against such inventions, for it declares, “Let [your children] be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee” (Pr 5:17). The living and true God, Who limited marriage and sex to one man and one woman, also condemned frivolous divorces – the kind that occur in about 50% of first marriages in America. He hates such divorces (Mal 2:16), and He declared that they are merely a legal fraud to whitewash the terrible sin of adultery (Matt 5:31-32; 19:3-9). These divorces also violate the proverb, for they break up marriages and confuse families with stepchildren.
The children of God should marry godly and virtuous spouses of the opposite sex for life and build great families with legitimate and loved children, whom they train to love godliness and hate this world’s abominations. May such children see the glory, feel the joy, and know the profit of a godly and real family. May they learn to hate fornication, adultery, sodomy, and unscriptural divorce as enemies of the family. May the fountains and rivers of such godly children increase more and more (Pr 5:15-18; Ps 144:11-15)! The God of heaven has His family of children by glorious wedlock to the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 3:14-15; 5:25-27; Heb 2:10-13). All others outside the electing grace of God are bastards, and He denies them His love and chastening (Heb 12:5-8; Eph 1:3-6; Rom 8:28-33; 9:21-24). Jesus Christ guaranteed eternal life to every one of these children (Jn 6:38-39; 10:27-28; 17:1-4), and they shall spend eternity rejoicing in a new heaven and earth with Him and their Father (Ps 16:11; 36:8; John 14:1-3; Rom 8:17-23; Eph 2:4-7).
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.Proverbs 4:23
Every sin starts in your heart, and your character and speech reflect your heart. You can only pretend to be different than your heart for a short time, for it will quickly regain control and dictate your actions. Others know your heart by your words and choices.
David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). What a description! This should be your life goal! But David guarded his heart by careful self-examination, confession, prayer, friends, singing, etc. (Ps 4:4; 9:1; 15:2; 17:3; 19:8,12,14; 24:4; 26:2; 27:3,8,14; 28:7; 32:11; 34;18; 37:31; 51:10,17; 57:7; 61:2; 62:8,10; 66:18; 77:6; 84:2; 86:11-12; 101:2-5; 108:1; 111:1; 112:7-8; 119:11,32,36,63,111; 139:23-24; 131:1; 141:4-5).
Your heart is your greatest asset, for it can do more for you than anything else. It is much more than the muscle beating 70 times a minute in your chest. You need to consider and prize the inner, decision-making part of you that loves certain things and chooses to do them over other things. Learn to set your affections on good things (Col 3:2; Matt 6:21).
You can keep your heart good, or you can let it become bad. You can be diligent in this project, or you can be lazy. God’s children have an old man that tempts them to evil, but their new man calls them to godliness. Your heart must decide between the two often. Every person makes a series of choices each day. What are you going to do today?
Whatever is in your heart comes out in your life. If your heart is full of good things, your life will show that goodness; if your heart is full of sinful thoughts, your life will show them. The large tests and decisions you will face many times in life are dependent on your heart, and so are the small choices that you make hundreds of times a day.
Is your heart pure? Are you working to keep it pure today? Do you know that laziness in this matter will bring severe trouble and pain to your life? You must eliminate negative inputs to your heart e.g. Hollywood entertainment, foolish or sinful friends, and worldly music. You should feed your heart with godly music, the Bible, prayer, and holy friends.
Jesus Christ condemned the Pharisees for emphasizing man’s outward appearance; He emphasized man’s heart instead. He said the following in two different places:
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Matthew 12:34-35
But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Matthew 15:18-19
Sin begins in the heart. Lust for a sin attracts your heart, so you think about it. If you think about it enough, you will do it. The result of this choice is death. Protect yourself by keeping your heart diligently from sinful thoughts (James 1:13-16). God sent the Flood to drown the earth for their wicked imagination (Gen 6:5), so hate any evil fantasies.
Think about an evil heart and how it affects the various issues of life. Sexual fantasizing will lead to filthiness, fornication, adultery, or defrauding your spouse – all because you allowed sinful thoughts in your heart. The same is true of bitterness toward others, coveting things you do not have, pride, excess ambition, envy, and other sins like them.
How can you keep a pure heart? Protect it from influences toward sin (Ps 101:3; I Cor 15:33), and supply it with influences toward holiness (Ps 119:11,63; 101:6). Get away from evil things, and spend your time with good thoughts and things (Phil 4:8). This is actually quite simple, but it takes strong personal commitment and discipline to do it.
Since even thinking about foolishness is sin (Pr 24:9), and desiring another woman is adultery in your heart (Matt 5:28), you must often examine your heart with the Lord’s help (Ps 139:23-24). Hiding scripture in your heart by reading, meditation, and memorization will further protect you from sinful thoughts (Ps 119:9,11,15,105).
Jesus Christ sees your heart clearly and fully (Heb 4:12-13), so He will reward diligence if He sees a faithful heart (II Chron 16:9), and He will punish folly if He sees a heart with idols set up in it (Ezek 14:3-8). It is foolish to think He does not see every idea and thought of your heart (Jer 17:9-10; Rev 2:23). He knows you better than you know you.
As David kept his heart, you can keep and perfect your heart. Remember, he was careful and faithful to examine himself, to confess his sins, to pray, to delight in God’s words, to choose only godly friends, to give thanks and sing praises to God. These heart exercises will keep your heart noble and righteous, and keeping it like this will bring God’s favor.
Solomon taught you to work at fearing God each day. He wrote elsewhere, “Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long” (Pr 23:17). The apostle Jude put it this way: “Keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 1:21). You can and will stop loving and fearing God, if you allow sin to harden your heart (Heb 3:12-13). Never forget this proverb, and with God’s help and strength, keep your heart diligently.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:Proverbs 1:20
Lady Wisdom wants to help you. She offers knowledge and understanding day after day to all men. She will not always be available. If you reject her long enough, she will ignore you when you are in trouble. Make sure you accept and obey her offer today.
Why do you keep hurting yourself? When will you get tired of pain? What will it take to make you try a different approach to life? Why do you listen to fools calling (Pr 1:10-19)? You must love death, because you make your choices in that direction (Pr 8:32-36).
Lady Wisdom offers a happy and successful life to you. This glorious woman cries for your attention and affection. She is near you now. Can you hear her in the streets? She asks for you. This lady is Solomon’s powerful personification of wisdom as a woman.
Lady Wisdom wants your attention. She will give you wisdom, which leads to the best possible life in this world and the next. All you have to do is take her offer! How does she state her offer? “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you” (Pr 1:22-23).
Most people suffer some sort of pain and trouble, year after year, generation after generation. They must love fear, grief, dysfunction, and destruction, because they never change. Parents divorce; the children say they will never divorce; the children end up divorced. A father commits adultery; his son vows he will never do such a thing; he commits adultery. Sin and suffering are endlessly perpetuated from one fool to the next.
A grandfather is a drunkard; his children, grandchildren, and nephews swear they will never abuse alcohol; but several end up being drunkards like the grandfather. A foolish rebel argues and fights with his parents, finally being thrown out to fend for himself. He fights at school; he fights in the military; he fights with employees and employers. His wife leaves him; his children hate him; but he fights on to the very last breath.
A little Hindu girl wonders why a million gods do nothing, why the neighbor’s cow is uncle Rahul, why her religion once encouraged widows to burn themselves to death at their husband’s funeral, why her nation worships the filthy Ganges, why she could be burned to death if her family does not pay a big dowry to the groom’s family, and why nations and people worshipping Jesus Christ are free from such terrible superstitions and live prosperously. Yet she grows up to be a big Hindu and teaches it to her daughters.
A little American girl wonders why there are so many churches and why both pledge and money mention God, when her schools deny Jesus Christ, the Bible, or prayer; why laws protect Pit Bulls but kill unborn children, why she must study hard but the nation supports a welfare class of “disabled,” why two men or two women marry but nature denies reproduction, why she must pay back her school debt but the government does not pay back theirs, and why many of her classmates are on prescription drugs for life. Yet she sends her daughters to the same schools and does not attend any of the churches.
The Creator God offers wisdom through the heavens He created (Ps 19:1-6), through the Bible He wrote (Ps 19:7-11), and through gospel preachers He sends to teach the Bible (Jer 3:15; Col 1:28-29; II Tim 3:16-17). Hear the proverb again: “Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets” (Pr 1:20). But even Christians today have turned away from sound doctrine that brings wisdom to fables and entertainment (II Tim 4:3-4).
The Bible is the ultimate library – 66 priceless books handpicked by Almighty God. It is a divinely-inspired and perfect manual of wisdom. Its books include most genres of literature and cover every aspect of life, provide a complete worldview, and answer every philosophical question and dilemma considered by sane men. God gave it to turn simple men into wise men and to declare the truth about His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Lady Wisdom, Solomon’s personification of wisdom, calls for you to take advantage of God’s gracious offer. But most men choose to believe Darwin, Nietzsche, Spock, Freud, Gandhi, or Oprah. What does God do? He rejects their prayers, blinds them to truth and wisdom, and rewires their brains to do inconvenient things like sodomy (Pr 1:20-32; Rom 1:18-32). Lady Wisdom calls in earnest. What will you do today to learn wisdom?
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