Gold Nugget
Verse 11: If they say, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
Commentary
Today's "gold nugget" has a deep and somewhat dark overtone to it. It seems unnecessary to instruct us to avoid this ridiculous enticement. Who would actually be enticed by someone that said, "Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause"? If this is such an outrageous scenario, why take the time to include it in the book of wisdom? In fact it isn't as uncommon and avoided by us as we would like to think. If we were to put on our spiritual glasses today and see things as God sees them, we would be alarmed at how often we not only are enticed with these words, but actually entice others with these very words. Let's examine a few things from God's perspective. God sees the spiritual as more significant than the physical. The scriptures tell us that life and death are in the tongue. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire."
The scriptures also say in Ezekiel chapter 3, "not warning people of their evil ways and the pending judgment will put their blood on your hands." This being said; it is apparent that some of the "mild" offenses we commit against our brother or neighbor are perceived by God just as the people in today's "gold nugget". In God's eyes, gossiping about someone would be considered shedding their blood. If this is true, wouldn't gossiping be saying to someone, "Come, let us lie in wait to shed blood? Whether it be gossip, tearing someone down with our words, neglecting to tell them about impending judgment and many other things along those lines, any would qualify us as those who listen to or are actually saying "Come with us, Let us lie in wait to shed blood". It's just a thought… or is it?
Prayer
Lord, I need to be reminded of the blood that I shed spiritually. I don't want to do this. Give me the ability to see how much harm can be done with my words, actions and lack of words and actions. I want to perceive people as you do. Give me your eyes so I can see them. Give me your heart so I can love them. Amen
If you are reading this devotional in an e-mail and would like to post a comment, click on this link http://proverbfortoday.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment