December 26, 2022 -- Proverbs 26:18-26 -- Journey to Christmas through Proverbs and Luke: The day after

People loved by the Father, in the Spirit's power: Sh'ma ~ hear and obey Jesus!

Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death
19 is the man who deceives his neighbor
    and says, “I am only joking!”
20 For lack of wood the fire goes out,
    and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
21 As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,
    so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
22 The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
    they go down into the inner parts of the body.
23 Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel
    are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24 Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips
    and harbors deceit in his heart;
25 when he speaks graciously, believe him not,
    for there are seven abominations in his heart;
26 though his hatred be covered with deception,
    his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
Proverbs 26:18-26 ESV

Many years ago I used to be a police chaplain and I’d go for ride-alongs with officers. I’d often go on Christmas night. There were several reasons for this. First, Christmas is a busy day for a preacher as I’d preach on Christmas morning and if it were a Sunday I’d preach in the AM and the PM. Second, Christmas is a family time comprised of high expectations, low conflict management skills and, long histories of unresolved conflicts. When families mix in booze, it is explosive. So a chaplain can be a great support. Finally, it was good to go along to encourage officers and remind them of the blessing of Christmas—Christ has come, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.

After Christmas Day there is a greater-than-ever need for Christ’s peace. Proverbs speaks of seven abominations. These can be more or less named as: a madman stoking up quarrels; a jokester whose quips are designed to wound; a gossip who is inciting people against one another; a quarrelsome man who rekindles feuds that have burned low; a whisperer who poisons people against one another; lips that seem to be saying things in order to be helpful when in fact they are hateful; the man or woman who has a history of any such activities as listed above must be approached cautiously, for their gracious words are a cover for greater harm. The man or woman who is a peace-maker does not entertain such abominations.

Those seven abominations are like the approach of Satan—who speaks mostly true words, but mixes them with deceit and lies so that those who listen to him are torn apart and their lives become a train wreck. Discernment is not needed when one is dealing with an obvious sinner. Discernment, wisdom and understanding are most urgently needed when one is with those who claim to be friends, or claim to be Christians, but their conduct does not seem to bear the fruit in keeping with their claims.

If a man cleans his heart of sin and his mind of filthiness, but does not fill himself with greater things (like a closer walk with Jesus, a deeper study of the Bible, cultivating friends who are strong Christians) then such a man opens his heart to seven abominations. Jesus warned that those who have been purged of an unclean spirit must not keep the house clean and swept. That is empty. The house must be rebuilt with wisdom, found in Jesus, established with understanding and each room filled with knowledge, which are the precious truth of Scripture and pleasant riches of knowing the love of God and the grace of Jesus and the fellowship of the Spirit. If this does not take place, one will be filled with seven demons darker and worse then the first unclean spirit (Luke 11:24-26).

Father in heaven, wonderful is Your Name. Help me to live so that Your Name is lifted high and treated as holy. Thank You for the cleansing work of Jesus Christ. Thank You for the grace of Jesus by which my sins have been punished and I have been given the robes of Jesus’ righteousness. Spirit of the Living God, fill me with a holy hunger for the Word, so that I will know Jesus more fully. Spirit of Comfort teach me to delight in His goodness. Spirit of Power equip me to do the good works which the Father in heaven prepared in advance for me to do. Amen.

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