Proverb Chapter 7 begins with an encouragement from Solomon to care about and keep God’s commandments, His law and to value His wisdom and understanding.
Then he says he observed something happening:
“For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.” (Proverb 7:6-9)
God sees.
Have you ever noticed how many sinful things we do either happen at night or in a different kind of “dark”, as we hide what we do so that no one else will see and know?
GOD SEES. God knows. (I wish more people cared about that fact.)
The writer of this Proverb says he watched a “young man devoid of understanding” head out in the dark to do something the young man knew he shouldn’t do.
We’re all connected to someone else. We will often see something like this unfold and we will choose to turn away from it and not address it.
Perhaps we’re afraid the person will attack us with social media’s favorite indicator that someone else is out of order: the weak and childish cry, “DON’T JUDGE ME!”.
Maybe we just don’t care. Maybe it just seems to not really be our business and that it’s not our place to intervene.
When it comes to fellow Christians, I believe it IS our right to address things like this because Colossians 2:19 speaks of the Body of Christ…the Church being “knit together by joints and ligaments”.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
In Christ, we truly ARE all connected. Everything we do affects everyone else.
God built that.
Paul goes on in that passage in 1 Corinthians 12 to tell us that EVERY part of the Church…each person…is valuable and has his or her part to play.
The writer of Proverb 7 says he watched a “young man devoid of understanding” head out in the dark to do something the young man knew he shouldn’t do. I was asked recently if I would confront such a thing if I saw it happening. Here is what I replied:
1. I would hope my first move would be to pray for the person and ask the Lord if He thought I should address it.
2. If I sensed He would have me address it I would seek a grace-filled way to approach the person.
3. Then I would approach him and begin by somehow communicating my positive regard for him.
4. Finally, I would say what I thought the Lord gave me for the person and then move on.
What is the point of doing it at all if how I did it purposefully caused the other to not receive me? The goal would be to give the other person the opportunity to choose to change his course…not to make him do or not do anything.
“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)
Intervening in the lives of others God has set in our midst benefits the entire Body. It’s well worth our discomfort to try. Will you love your neighbor enough to reach out and try to warn him?
When I read the last four verses of Proverb 7 I imagine the one who observed the young man head out in the dark to do spiritually foolish things speaking to him.
“Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth:” (Proverb 7:24)
His words address his children and I know this is aimed at all God’s children, but as I read them, I was given the image of that observant man speaking tenderly to the young man. He is intervening to save the young man from himself.
Perhaps, as you read this today you hear him intervening to keep you from falling prey to sin’s seductive calls.
Will you listen?
May we ALL listen when HE warns us however He chooses to do so.
Amen.
Then he says he observed something happening:
“For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.” (Proverb 7:6-9)
God sees.
Have you ever noticed how many sinful things we do either happen at night or in a different kind of “dark”, as we hide what we do so that no one else will see and know?
GOD SEES. God knows. (I wish more people cared about that fact.)
The writer of this Proverb says he watched a “young man devoid of understanding” head out in the dark to do something the young man knew he shouldn’t do.
We’re all connected to someone else. We will often see something like this unfold and we will choose to turn away from it and not address it.
Perhaps we’re afraid the person will attack us with social media’s favorite indicator that someone else is out of order: the weak and childish cry, “DON’T JUDGE ME!”.
Maybe we just don’t care. Maybe it just seems to not really be our business and that it’s not our place to intervene.
When it comes to fellow Christians, I believe it IS our right to address things like this because Colossians 2:19 speaks of the Body of Christ…the Church being “knit together by joints and ligaments”.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
In Christ, we truly ARE all connected. Everything we do affects everyone else.
God built that.
Paul goes on in that passage in 1 Corinthians 12 to tell us that EVERY part of the Church…each person…is valuable and has his or her part to play.
The writer of Proverb 7 says he watched a “young man devoid of understanding” head out in the dark to do something the young man knew he shouldn’t do. I was asked recently if I would confront such a thing if I saw it happening. Here is what I replied:
1. I would hope my first move would be to pray for the person and ask the Lord if He thought I should address it.
2. If I sensed He would have me address it I would seek a grace-filled way to approach the person.
3. Then I would approach him and begin by somehow communicating my positive regard for him.
4. Finally, I would say what I thought the Lord gave me for the person and then move on.
What is the point of doing it at all if how I did it purposefully caused the other to not receive me? The goal would be to give the other person the opportunity to choose to change his course…not to make him do or not do anything.
“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)
Intervening in the lives of others God has set in our midst benefits the entire Body. It’s well worth our discomfort to try. Will you love your neighbor enough to reach out and try to warn him?
When I read the last four verses of Proverb 7 I imagine the one who observed the young man head out in the dark to do spiritually foolish things speaking to him.
“Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth:” (Proverb 7:24)
His words address his children and I know this is aimed at all God’s children, but as I read them, I was given the image of that observant man speaking tenderly to the young man. He is intervening to save the young man from himself.
Perhaps, as you read this today you hear him intervening to keep you from falling prey to sin’s seductive calls.
Will you listen?
May we ALL listen when HE warns us however He chooses to do so.
Amen.
Proverb Chapter 7 begins with an encouragement from Solomon to care about and keep God’s commandments, His law and to value His wisdom and understanding.
Then he says he observed something happening:
“For at the window of my house I looked through my lattice, and saw among the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding, passing along the street near her corner; and he took the path to her house in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.” (Proverb 7:6-9)
God sees.
Have you ever noticed how many sinful things we do either happen at night or in a different kind of “dark”, as we hide what we do so that no one else will see and know?
GOD SEES. God knows. (I wish more people cared about that fact.)
The writer of this Proverb says he watched a “young man devoid of understanding” head out in the dark to do something the young man knew he shouldn’t do.
We’re all connected to someone else. We will often see something like this unfold and we will choose to turn away from it and not address it.
Perhaps we’re afraid the person will attack us with social media’s favorite indicator that someone else is out of order: the weak and childish cry, “DON’T JUDGE ME!”.
Maybe we just don’t care. Maybe it just seems to not really be our business and that it’s not our place to intervene.
When it comes to fellow Christians, I believe it IS our right to address things like this because Colossians 2:19 speaks of the Body of Christ…the Church being “knit together by joints and ligaments”.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
In Christ, we truly ARE all connected. Everything we do affects everyone else.
God built that.
Paul goes on in that passage in 1 Corinthians 12 to tell us that EVERY part of the Church…each person…is valuable and has his or her part to play.
The writer of Proverb 7 says he watched a “young man devoid of understanding” head out in the dark to do something the young man knew he shouldn’t do. I was asked recently if I would confront such a thing if I saw it happening. Here is what I replied:
1. I would hope my first move would be to pray for the person and ask the Lord if He thought I should address it.
2. If I sensed He would have me address it I would seek a grace-filled way to approach the person.
3. Then I would approach him and begin by somehow communicating my positive regard for him.
4. Finally, I would say what I thought the Lord gave me for the person and then move on.
What is the point of doing it at all if how I did it purposefully caused the other to not receive me? The goal would be to give the other person the opportunity to choose to change his course…not to make him do or not do anything.
“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.” (1 Corinthians 12:18)
Intervening in the lives of others God has set in our midst benefits the entire Body. It’s well worth our discomfort to try. Will you love your neighbor enough to reach out and try to warn him?
When I read the last four verses of Proverb 7 I imagine the one who observed the young man head out in the dark to do spiritually foolish things speaking to him.
“Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth:” (Proverb 7:24)
His words address his children and I know this is aimed at all God’s children, but as I read them, I was given the image of that observant man speaking tenderly to the young man. He is intervening to save the young man from himself.
Perhaps, as you read this today you hear him intervening to keep you from falling prey to sin’s seductive calls.
Will you listen?
May we ALL listen when HE warns us however He chooses to do so.
Amen.
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