Two Meditations from Proverbs 21

I am reading through Psalms & Proverbs for the second month in a row. The effort entails reading 5 psalms and a chapter in Proverbs each day. I recommend this exercise because it not only will help familiarize you with the rich content of these fountains of inspired wisdom, but it will also make it easier to remember what day of the month it is.

(In June, I broke up Psalm 119 into smaller portions, but since this month has 31 days, I will look forward to reading on the 31st.)

Today's reading included the 21st chapter of Proverbs, of which two verses in particular really grabbed my attention -- the first verse and the last.

The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. (Proverbs 21:1)

The lesson I see here is that we get the kind of government that the Lord gives us. If we want better, the answer does not lie in electing a different set of crooks from the opposing party.

The nation has followed that formula for change for several generations now, and it has proved to be a will o' the wisp. The answer to better government lies in ethics, not politics.

When we as a people -- and more specifically, we as the Church -- begin to demonstrate conformity to God's standards in not only our personal but also our family, business and covenantally corporate ( i. e., our local churches) lives, then we can expect God to give us better government.

One standard that must change involves our concept of mission. How many of our pastors and teachers narrowly interpret the Christ's Great Commission to the Church as to save souls exclusively rather than acknowledge the full-orbed mandate to capture whole nations for Christ, "teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you." (See Matthew 28:19-20)

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21:31)

Long ago, I read a quote from Charles Spurgeon that went something like this: Work as though everything depended on you, then pray knowing that everything depends on God.

God wrote this principle into Scripture in the precise terms a Christian Warrior would understand. Ultimately, victory does not depend on the outward preparations like your equipment (war horses) or even your training. 

Ultimately, victory comes from God through the acts of His providence. That's not to say that you dare neglect your gear or our training. No, those things form part of an outward testimony to the fact that you embrace the inner ethic of the Christian Warrior. And, in the final analysis, as God acknowledges and blesses the ethical standard within you, He will reward you with victory.

End Note: Both these verses share a common lesson: For the believer, ethics determines outcome. Richard Weaver wrote a book to support the idea that Ideas Have Consequences. However, the Bible teaches most emphatically that in the major issues of life, ETHICS HAS EVEN BIGGER CONSEQUENCES.