The king speaks today on the subject of self-control and of resisting evil. We are not victims and we don't have to allow the enemy to break through the walls.
'Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." (Proverbs 25:25) Solomon didn't have a postal carrier putting mail in a box outside the palace every day. News from distant lands took quite a while to reach him. If he sent a letter to a foreign king, it might be months before he would receive the reply. It wasn't a daily occurrence to get letters or packages like it is today. Not very far in our past, before the advent of the internet, our own soldiers fighting on foreign shores had to wait weeks or months for letters and packages from home. How refreshing it must have been to receive a long-awaited letter and find good news in it!
I've heard verse 25 used in relation to the good news of the gospel, and although Solomon probably wasn't referring to the gospel (since he lived about nine hundred years before Christ), I think there's nothing wrong with using verse 25 this way. The gospel is good news from a distant land. The gospel is refreshing to a weary soul. I've never heard better news than that Jesus Christ loves me and died for me and lives today making intercession for me. Nothing has ever refreshed my weary soul more. The truth of Christ's love has given me the strength to keep going at times when nothing else could.
"Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked." (Proverbs 25:26) When a godly and well-respected person in the church falls into sin, it hurts the whole community. It hurts those within the church and it hurts those without. It hurts those within the church because the members may begin to doubt whether any pastor or teacher or deacon is really what they seem. They've trusted in their church leadership and their trust has been betrayed. Such a thing hurts those outside the church as well, for it only confirms what unbelievers have thought about Christians all along: that they are hypocrites. They can nod their heads and say, "See, those Bible thumpers aren't any better than the rest of us! In fact, some of them are worse. The pastor at the church down the street was caught in adultery. I've never committed adultery. And did you hear about the church treasurer who embezzled from the funds? I've never stolen anything in my life." Solomon wants us to understand the responsibility we have to stay on the right track, especially if we hold any type of office or leadership role in the church or community. We can live honorable lives and attract people to Jesus Christ, or we can live dishonorable lives and discourage unbelievers from coming to Christ. It's a very serious responsibility, for we are Christ's representatives in this world. People around us should be able to see Jesus in us. It's vitally important how we conduct our lives.
"It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep." (Proverbs 25:27) Solomon often uses the eating of honey as a metaphor about practicing moderation and self-control. When we studied Ecclesiastes we found Solomon in a deep depression. He was a man with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, but his constant learning had done nothing but weary him. His education did not answer his most burning questions. It did not fill the emptiness in his soul. There's nothing wrong with learning, with reading, or with developing our talents. These things can be very enjoyable for the person who has the Lord at the center of his life. But for many years Solomon didn't have the Lord at the center of his life, so nothing was able to satisfy him. This is why he sighed heavily and observed, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body." (Ecclesiastes 12:12b) The only thing that helped Solomon was returning to the Lord and studying the Book: the holy Scriptures. Once he elevated the Lord to His proper place in his heart, life once again became meaningful. When he applied the word of God to his heart, all his other education enhanced his ability to understand the greatness of God.
"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." (Proverbs 25:28) Ancient city walls existed for the purpose of keeping enemies out. A breach in the wall meant an enemy could creep in and do much damage to the city and its citizens. A person who lacks self-control is like a city with an opening in the wall: the enemy is able to slip in and do damage. This is why it's important to perform spiritual checkups on ourselves. Are our walls secure? Or is there an area where we keep letting the enemy in? We have to be on guard at all times, as the Apostle Peter warns, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) We have an enemy who circles the walls constantly looking for a weak spot. When he finds it, he attacks us there. This is why Solomon advises self-control in every area of our lives.
We need to examine ourselves and take note of any area where we seem to get defeated time and time again, for that is our weak spot in the wall. That's where the enemy will slip in. It worked for him before and he expects it to work again. But it doesn't have to be that way. The Apostle Peter says, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith." (1 Peter 5:9a) The Lord's brother James, a leader in the Christian church at Jerusalem, agrees, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." (James 4:7b) Christ has won the victory for us. We aren't victims, so let's not behave like victims. We are not at the mercy of our enemy but at the mercy of the living God who loves us. Let's shore up those weak spots in the walls with the truth of God's word, with prayer, and with a closer relationship with our Redeemer. We must resist the lies of the enemy. We are in possession of good news from a foreign land, and that good news says we are overcomers in Christ! This knowledge is what caused the Apostle John to declare, "Everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God." (1 John 5:4-5) Everyone born of God overcomes the world! This means you and this means me!
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