Proverbs - My Dead Dads Sermons Series

20/6/2011

IN THE BOOK OF PROVERBS WE READ IN CHAP 14 V12 THAT, “THERE IS A WAY WHICH SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT ITS END IS THE WAY OF DEATH”. IN PROVERBS AGAIN IN CHAPT 16-25 THE TEXT READS TEHRE IS A WAY WHICH SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT ITS END IS THE WAY OF DEATH”. WHY DID THE WRITER OF PROVERBS BOTHER TO REPEAT EXACTLY THE SAME WORDS, AND, SURROUNDED BY OTHER TEXTS TO DO WITH THE SAME THING?

IT MAY SEEM THER IS NO NEED TO DO THAT. BUT, THE FACT IS, THAT THESE TEXTS ALTHOUGH SEEMING THE SAME, ARE NOT. IN 14V12 THERE IS ONE WORD STRESSED OR EMPHASIZED. THAT WORD IS, IS. TODAY, WE WOULD UNDERLINE THAT WORD CAUSING A PAUSE, AND EMPHASIS JUST ON THAT CONTEXT AS IN BUT IT’S END IS THE WAY OF DEATH. IN CHAPT 16V25 THE EMPHASIS, TODAY, WOULD BE WRITTEN THERE IS A WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT ITS END IS THE WAY OF DEATH.

SO THE EMPHASIS IN TOTAL OF THESE SAME TEXTS IS THAT THERE IS A WAY, WHICH SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT THE END IS OF DEATH.

I THINK MANKIND TODAY IS VERY PRONE TO JUSTIFYING HIS WRONGFUL DEEDS. IT WASN’T MY FAULT, ITS SOMEONE ELSE’S RESPONSIBILITY, DON’T BLAME ME, I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING WRONG. RIGHT AT THIS POINT IN HISTORY THERE ARE DEBATES AND ARGUMENTS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TWO PEOPLE, OF THE SAME GENDER, SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO MARRY. THE SCRIPTURES SAY “NOT TO BE UNEQUALLY YOKED TOGETHER”. IT IS PLAINLY NOT RIGHT FOR THIS TO OCCUR, BUT, IT MAY, SEEM, RIGHT. IF IT WAS RIGHT, WHY DID GOD, IN THE BEGINNING, SET THE PRECEDENT FOR MANKIND TO FOLLOW, BY CREATING FOR THE MAN, A WOMAN. WHY WASN’T THE WOMAN CREATED FIRST, OR WHY WASN’T ANOTHER MAN CREATED FOR ADAM. THE FACT IS THAT THE PURPOSE OF CREATION WAS FOR MAN AND WOMAN TO “GO FORTH AND MULTIPLY”. IN THE CASE OF MAN AND MAN, OR WOMAN AND WOMAN, THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT UNNATURAL FERTILISATION.

WHAT EXAMPLE WOULD THESE CHILDREN WHICH MIGHT BE INVOLVED SEE? FOR MARRIAGE BETWEEN THE SAME GENDERS, THE TWO TEXTS IN PROVERBS COULD APPLY. IT MIGHT SEEM TO BE RIGHT, BUT, IT ISN’T.

AN ILLUSTRATION HERE MIGHT SUFFICE. THERE IS SOMETHING WE DO, EVERY DAY, WHICH SEEMS TO BE RIGHT, BUT IT IS NOT AT ALL RIGHT. IT IS A FALSE IMAGE, OR A FALSE PICTURE, WHICH VERY FEW WILL HAVE NOTICED.

AS WE LOOK INTO A MIRROR TO SHAVE, OR ADD MAKEUP, OR WHATEVER, THE IMAGE WE SEE IN THE MIRROR, MAY SEEM TO BE A TRUE REPRESENTATION OF THE ONE LOOKING INTO IT, BIT IT ISN’T.

IF WE CARE TO LOOK INTO A MIRROR AND SAY FOR EXAMPLE, USE OUR RIGHT HAND TO GRASP OUR RIGHT EAR, THE IMAGE WHICH APPEARS, SEEMS TO BE EXACT AND RIGHT, FROM WHERE WE ARE VIEWING IT FROM. BUT IN OUR IMAGINATION, IF WE CAN PLACE OURSELVES IN THE IMAGE LOOKING BACK TO THE ONE LOOKING INTO THE MIRROR, IT WILL APPEAR AS THOUGH THE LEFT EAR, IS BEING HELD, BY THE LEFT HAND. IT MAY SEEM RIGHT, BUT IT ISN’T. A TRUE REFLECTION OF A PERSON LOOKING INTO A MIRROR, WOULD BE TO VIEW THE BACK OF THE HEAD, OF THE PERSON LOOKING INTO IT. SO, THE MIRROR MAY SEEM TO BE A TRUE IMAGE, BUT IT ISN’T.

THERE IS A WAY WHICH SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT, IT IS, THE WAY OF DEATH.

A PERSONAL ILLUSTRAION MIGHT ALSO HELP TO EXPLAIN WHY THE WRITER OF PROVERBS EMPHASIZED THE WORDS HE DID.

I HAVE TO HAVE ANOTHER OPERATION TO REPLACE A HIP THROUGH THE HEALTH SYSTEM, I AM LEGALLY ABLE TO HAVE THAT OPERATION DONE, FREE OF CHARGE. I HAVE FOUND, THAT THERE IS A WAY WHEREBY, I CAN JOIN A HEALTH FUND SOMEWHERRE, ENABLING ME TO HAVE THAT OPERATION, IN A DIFFERENT PLACE, AND HAVE THAT HEALTH FUND, PAY THE COSTS. BUT TO ME, TO ENTER INTO SUCH THINGS, IN SUCH A WAY, WOULD MEAN I WOULD HAVE TO PROBABLY LIE, OR AT LEAST CONCEAL THE FACT ANOTHER OPERATION IS NEEDED. SO, IF I CHOSE TO GO THAT WAY, I WOULD BE ENTERING INTO AN AGREEMENT, BUT WITHHOLDING THE FACT THAT ANOTHER OPERATION IS FORTHCOMING. IT MAY SEEM RIGHT, AT LEASE IN THIS DAY AND AGE, BUT, TO ME, IT WOULD BE BEING DECEITFUL. IT JUST WOULDN’T FEEL RIGHT, ALTHOUGH IT MIGHT APPEAR TO BE RIGHT. IN OTHER WORDS IF I CHOSE TO USE A HEALTH FUND, IN THIS MANNER, IT MAY SEEM TO BE RIGHT, BUT, IT ISNT.

THERE IS A WAY WHICH SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT, THE END, IS, OF DEATH.

THIS MAY HELP TO EXPLAIN WHY THE WRITER OF PROVERBS REPEAATS WHAT APPEARS OR SEEMS TO BE THE SAME TEXT, BUT, IT ISNT.