Proverbs 24:13-14:
13My son, eat honey, because it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14 So shall you know skillful and godly Wisdom to be thus to your life; if your find it, then shall there be a future and a reward, and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.
I found this in The Biblical Illustrator (Old Testament) and found it interesting!
I. It is WHOLESOME. "My son, eat thou honey, because it is good." Honey was one of the choice productions of Canaan. It was used by its inhabitants as an article of diet; it was not only delicious to the palate, but strengthening to the frame. Divine knowledge is the aliment for man's spiritual nature; without it there is no moral strength; our faculties require God Himself to feed upon. Without God it starves. He is the food of the intellect, the affections, the imagination, the conscience.
II. It is DELECTABLE. "And the honeycomb, which is sweet to the taste." God's goodness in nature appears in this as well as in all other things: that the provisions essential to man's strength He has made palatable to the taste. Honey is not only strengthening, but "sweet." The pleasures of spiritual knowledge are of the most exquisite kind.
III. It is SATISFYING. "When thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off." There shall be a reward. Goodness is its own reward, and the reward is equal to the highest "expectation.
(from The Biblical Illustrator Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 Ages Software, Inc. and Biblesoft, Inc.)
I like that! Here is the song "Holy And Anointed One":
Verse 19-20:
19 Fret not because of evildoers, neither be envious of the wicked, 20 For there shall be no reward for the evil man; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
The word "fret" here is the Hebrew word "charah", which means: to be hot, to be furious, to burn, to become angry, to be kindled, to heat oneself in vexation. We are NOT to allow evil and wicked people, and the things that they do, cause us to lose our focus on preaching the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth! THAT is what the enemy wants! Don't worry, God is keeping track of everything and He WILL repay the evil done! Let's let Him be the Judge of all while we be about His business for us! AMEN!
Philippians 1:9-11 is also MY prayer for YOU!
9 And this I pray: that your love may abound yet more and more and extend to its fullest development in knowledge and all keen insight [that your love may display itself in greater depth of acquaintance and more comprehensive discernment], 10 So that you may surely learn to sense what is vital, and approve and prize what is excellent and of real value [recognizing the highest and the best, and distinguishing the moral differences], and that you may be untainted and pure and unerring and blameless [so that with hearts sincere and certain and unsullied, you may approach] the day of Christ [not stumbling nor causing others to stumble]. 11 May you abound in and be filled with the fruits of righteousness (of right standing with God and right doing) which come through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One), to the honor and praise of God [that His glory may be both manifested and recognized].
When WE walk in love, the world WILL take notice (John 13:35); and our faith WILL work for us (Galatians 5:6)! Love is ALWAYS the best way, because love NEVER fails (1 Corinthians 13:8)! AMEN!
We see in 1 Chronicles 20-22 another account of David's sin of numbering the people of Israel. We saw in 1 Samuel 24 that God moved David to do this. This is the same type of thing that happened when God told Moses that He would destroy all of the people and start all over again with Moses! It was a challenge to see if Moses had the right attitude towards the people and his own role. Moses passed the test by saying "Not so" to the Lord! When the challenge came, David SHOULD have said "Not so"! Instead, David listened to satan and sinned! It was Joab who said the right thing! 1 Chronicles 21:1-4:
1 Satan [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel. 2 David said to Joab and the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me the total, that I may know it. 3 And Joab answered, May the LORD multiply His people a hundred times! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this? Why will he bring guilt upon Israel? 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
Even though David sinned, he once again repented and got back in fellowship with the LORD. He went again after God's heart! When YOU miss it, "go thou and do likewise"! REPENT! Change YOUR thinking to agree with GOD'S, confess the sin, and receive your forgiveness! Then get busy, again, with what God has called you to do! It's very simple! Not always easy on the flesh, but ALWAYS simple! You can't get any simpler that "God is ALWAYS right! AMEN!
Shalom in Him!
