the Maker

Respect To The Holy One Of Israel

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.

Isaiah 17:7-8

This morning for my daily reading of the Scriptures I read Isaiah 13 through 20. These chapters are God’s word to surrounding nations of Israel who have been cruel to the people of God, His word to His people as well.

The verses I share today is fitting for any time, and any where.

“At that day…” A phrase used quite frequently in Isaiah’s prophecy is speaking of a day appointed by God Himself. It is a time, a day, which He knows, and the prophet has an knowledge that it could be soon. It is a day that will surly come. Every thing that God says; and every thing that He does has purpose.

“…A man shall look to his Maker…” This is a great thing to think that the LORD is giving this nation, along with Israel a chance, a choice of blessing or judgment. Before one can look to his Maker he must realize that he has a Maker, and that Maker is GOD; and GOD can do things in a person’s life to get him or her to recognize his Maker. What good does it do to recognize your Maker?

“…His eyes shall have respect for the Holy One of Israel…” In the Proverbs God tells us much about the “fear of the LORD,”  and that “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,” and that  “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” I do not know how many hunters, rifle men and women read this but here is an illustration I use to illustrate for the fear of the LORD:

I have a twelve gauge single shot, breech load, shotgun. I am not fearful of it as long as I am on the right end of that gun; but if someone else is holding it on me, pointed at me, then I am going to be fearful of what I might get. As long as I am on the right end, I am respectful of what that gun can do, and realize the danger of abuse or misuse of that shot gun.

If I am on the right side with God, I revere Him, and I am in awe of Him, because I know that He loves me, and I love Him. However, if I  get on the wrong side of God, then I am going to be very afraid of what lies down the road of my future. So by the grace of God I am trusting Him for His great salvation, and His power to keep me in His hands.

“…The work of his hands…” The man who recognizes the Holy One of Israel will no longer brag about what he has done; what he has built with his own hands. He will trust in the LORD, and be in awe of Him with great reverence, because of who He is.

Who is this Holy One of Israel? He is the Messiah. He is the Christ of God. He is Jesus. He died on the cross for our sins, was buried carrying our sins away, casting them as far away as the east is from the west; and to prove that all He said, and that the work of salvation was done, He rose from the tomb, and lives forever more.

 

Wisdom and Education for All

/ Tim A. / Leave a comment

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.
The rich and poor meet together: the LORD is the maker of them all.
A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honor, and life.
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:1-6 (KJB)

Wisdom and Education – Proverbs 22:1-6

Verses 1- 6 –   (1)  The value of a good name.  (2) The LORD is the maker of all.  (3) The sensible have forsight to danger; the simple (Naive) will not see or just ignore it. See Proverbs 14:16 and 27:12.  (4) Humility and fear of the LORD are essential to God’s blessings.  (5)  Troubles for the perverse;  avoidance for the one who keeps themselves clean.

Verse 6 –  From the Believers Bible Commentary;

“22:6  The usual interpretation of this proverb is that if you train up a child properly (in the way he should go), he will go on well in later life. Of course there are exceptions, but it stands as a general rule. Henry Ward Beecher observes:It is not hard to make a child or a tree grow right if you train them when they’re young, but to make them straighten out after you’ve allowed things to go wrong is not an easy matter.

Susannah Wesley, the mother of Charles, John, and 15 other children, followed these rules in training them: (1) Subdue self-will in a child and thus work together with God to save his soul. (2) Teach him to pray as soon as he can speak. (3) Give him nothing he cries for and only what is good for him if he asks for it politely. (4) To prevent lying, punish no fault which is freely confessed, but never allow a rebellious, sinful act to go unnoticed. (5) Commend and reward good behavior. (6) Strictly observe all promises you have made to your child.
The proverb can also be understood as encouraging parents to train their children along the lines of their natural talents, rather than forcing them into professions or trades for which they have no native inclination. Thus Kidner says that the verse teaches respect for the child’s individuality and vocation, though not for his self-will.

And the proverb may be a warning that if you train a child in the way that he himself wants to go, he will continue to be spoiled and self-centered in later life. Jay Adams writes:

The verse stands not as a promise but as a warning to parents that if they allow a child to train himself after his own wishes (permissively), they should not expect him to want to change these patterns when he matures. Children are born sinners and, when allowed to follow their own wishes, will naturally develop sinful habit responses. The basic thought is that such habit patterns become deep-seated when they have been ingrained in the child from the earliest days.”

Verse six note from the ESV Study Bible:

“Prov. 22:6 Train up a child. This proverb, founded on the covenant with Abraham (cf. Gen. 18:19), encourages parents to “train” (i.e., to “dedicate” or “initiate”; this is the sense of the word in Deut. 20:5; cf. Ezra 6:16) their children in the way (i.e., the right moral orientation) by pointing to the kinds of conduct that please or displease the Lord, and to the normal outcome of each kind of conduct (on the matter of consequences, see Introduction: Literary Features). The training will include love and instruction as well as “the rod of discipline” (Prov. 22:15).”