“The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.
Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, and before honour is humility.” Proverbs 18:10-12 (KJB)
Haughtiness
Pride, Fulness, and Idleness
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before Me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.” Ezekiel 16:49-50 (KJV)
Those who are always fighting for the “marriage” of same sex couples are bringing up the thought that the Bible does not mention the sin of homosexuality as being the cause of God’s judgment upon Sodom. Well take a look at the above verses.
The “pride” is instantly recognized as setting themselves against the plan of God – going their own way. Pride of that fashion affects the way people handle their blessings; leading to fulness without sharing it with others; forsaking the poor and needy. “Haughty” arrogant attitudes lead to any “abomination” you could imagine. And GOD calls Sodomy/homosexual behavior an “Abomination”. See Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; and Romans 1:25-28, and there are others throughout the New Testament warning of the perils of this kind of rebellion against God.
-T.A.
The Happy Man
Happiness can be fleeting. It is often measured by how well one’s life is going. If one get’s a surprise check or an unexpected amount of cash in the mail, or slid under the door, or show up in the car, or win the lottery; then, one can be very happy.
Happiness defined by the MIRRIAM/WEBSTER Dictionary means,
“1: a state of well being and contentment; also : a pleasurable satisfaction 2: aptness”
There is a “Happiness” gained by being godly. There has been much written on the Psalms and the First Psalm is no different. The word in the Bible for Happiness is “Blessed”, though the word means so much more than the definition of happiness in the above mentioned dictionary.
The First Psalm begins,
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” Psalm 1:1 (KJV)
Jesus Christ begins the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes with the word “Blessed”. There are also seven “Blesseds” in the Revelation. If you would like you may click on the link and read more about the Lord’s happiness that He gives.
The man is happiest when he is walking with the Lord in His Word, doing His will, going His way, and worshipping and praising only the great and mighty God who has made all things, and mankind in His own image.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3 (KJV)
The individual is haughty and proud is not an individual who fits our Lord’s description of “Happiness”. The “Blessedness” of the Lord is enduring. The happiness of the world is fleeting, and dependent upon circumstances. When you walk in the happiness of the Lord, you walk in the light of the Lord.
Have a blessed day.
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Pretty Women…
Prophet’s Possible Perspective
Coming from a family of nobility I guess it kind of hard to notice how things really are here in Jerusalem. Many of us profess to know the Lord, but we just walk on by the suffering and the hurting enjoying our little trinkets of jewelry, silver, gold and precious gems.
Walking through the Sheep gate today, though it is a place where the lambs for slaughter are brought into the city, I noticed a lot of pride. The women walking with their heads held high as though they had no problem in the world and the men no better. The women, at least more than a good majority of them, are full of haughtiness, thinking that beauty is the main thing of life. They call attention to themselves with jangling jewelry. They cry out for men’s attention; even men who are not their husbands.
One day this arrogance and pride will be judged by the Lord. He will take away the finery; The jingling anklets, the scarves and the cresents…will he do away with. What will these “pretty” women do then. LORD help us.
The sweet fragrance of their perfumes will turn to a stench of death. Rather than having well kept hair, they will be bald. O that the people of God would hear; O that we would obey His voice, and turn from our sins. God, the LORD of hosts, will brand them rather than give them beauty. What will become of the men they lure and chase after then? They will perish.
The women of Jerusalem, Judah, and all Israel will find themselves without enough men for husbands to go around. They will be slaughtered. There will be a great lamentation throughout all the land. There will be desolation.
When will people learn that the way of the LORD is through faith in Him? Faith is turning from the life of sin and death to live in Him.
O, the time is good, but Oh such darkness. There is a darkness that many do not see. There is light. O, come to the Light. Come that you might see.
“Moreover the LORD saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet: Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts. In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon, The chains, and the bracelets, and the mufflers, The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legs, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earrings, The rings, and nose jewels, The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins, The glasses, and the fine linen, and the hoods, and the vails. And it shall come to pass, that instead of sweet smell there shall be stink; and instead of a girdle a rent; and instead of well set hair baldness; and instead of a stomacher a girding of sackcloth; and burning instead of beauty. Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mighty in the war. And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground. And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.” Isaiah 3:16-4:1 (KJV)
-Tim A. Blankenship
The Fire and Hammer 