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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 1 October 2023:
Ezekiel 33:7-9 — So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.
God holds His people accountable for testifying to the truth and warning the wicked whether they choose to listen or not. Why does God give us this burden of responsibility? “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die?’” (Ezekiel 33:11) God has commanded us to love others unconditionally. What could be more unloving than watching people head down the path of destruction and damnation while saying nothing? Some Christians have unlovingly chosen to abrogate their God-given responsibility and life purpose as Christ’s Ambassadors for sake of avoiding confrontation and preserving personal comfort and security. However, today’s readings make clear God’s response to the irresponsible messenger.
Today’s readings directly mirror what God said to Jeremiah about the messenger being held accountable for the delivery of the message. Jesus gave his followers the ‘Great Commission’ – “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:18-20) The Bible says further, “We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Under the authority and power of God, we have been commissioned to serve as His messengers and representatives on earth, to proclaim a message of eternal consequence. This is a TREMENDOUS responsibility which must not be neglected. God will hold us accountable for how we perform our mission. We must warn the iniquitous, and we must be very careful not to ‘muddy the waters’ by adding or taking away from God’s word. What we think about an issue matters little; what matters is what God’s word says. To remain silent in the face of sin is tacit approval – “Qui tacet consentit” — “Silence gives consent.” What would Jesus say to the ‘consenting’ Christian? “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42) Are you warning those around you? Are you vocal in a lovingly confrontational way?
You are responsible and held accountable for delivering the message to all; how people respond is their responsibility, not yours. However, a negative response is not an opportunity for you to quit proclaiming Christ. Consider how many prophets, apostles and disciples in the Bible continued relentlessly to speak God’s truth to those who only persecuted them for it. Remember Paul who would proclaim the Gospel, get beat by the angry crowd, dust himself off, and preach even more to the same crowd – some believed. Your life mission is to proclaim Jesus and represent Him on earth. How are you doing?
– Proverbs 24:11-12 — Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?
– Jeremiah 6:14 — They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.
Psalm 113:3 – From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!
You should be praising God all day long, from the time you get up until the time you go to bed.
Psalm 113:4 — The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
What happens when a nation declares God’s laws unconstitutional?
Proverbs 1:4, 5 – …to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth— Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance….
Character development is a life-long growth process that must be continually fed by the word of God, prayer, and counsel from fellow committed followers of Christ. The Proverbs are provided to help the youth understand what they haven’t experienced and to remind the experienced lest they forget. Everyone needs the continual coaching of the Holy Spirit who instructs from God’s word.
Proverbs 1:7 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Both true knowledge and wisdom require a proper respect for God. How tragic it is that schools in America start with the premise that God is not required to obtain knowledge and wisdom. The decision to take God out of our schools has sown the seeds for national destruction.
Proverbs 1:8, 9 — Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
If you were to write a letter intended to pass along to your children, your children’s children, and all generations to come essential wisdom for meaningful, prosperous living, what would you write? The Bible says that Solomon was the wisest man who had ever walked the earth, and Proverbs is, at least in part, his letter to his descendants, inspired by God. So, how valuable are the Proverbs to us? And what is the first major point that Solomon wants to leave behind: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).” Is your pursuit of knowledge grounded in the fear of the Lord, and does your pursuit for knowledge begin with a deep meditation on God’s word? It is amazing how much we take the Word of God for granted.
Proverbs 1:20 – Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice….
Wisdom is not hard to find if you are willing to listen.
Proverbs 1:22 — How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Scoffers are those who simply refuse to hear the truth of Jesus. Have you noticed how they delight in their ungodly beliefs?
Proverbs 1:24, 25 – Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity….
Sinners simply want to sin more than they want to honor God. We don’t take sin seriously enough. Sin is dethroning God in your life for that moment. It is cosmic treason! It is trampling on the blood of Christ. We need to learn to see sin the way God sees it.
Proverbs 1:28 — Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
There can come a time when it is too late. Don’t take God’s warnings and discipline lightly.
Proverbs 1:32 — For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them.
The cherubim in Ezekiel 10:22 walked straight paths under God’s commands, but notice that the evil turn away from God and are destroyed.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) –1 October 2023: Share the Gospel with someone today.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 