Proverbs 29 contains one of the most quoted verses in the entire book, verse 18. In the ESV we read: 18Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) The more often quoted translation for this verse is the KJV: 18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) The key point is we must have the LORD’s vision in our lives, or we will be led astray. The world offers us plenty of “visions” for our lives, and many of them are even noble visions. The difference between a noble worldly vision such as feeding the hungry, or drilling wells for all the people in the world who are without clean water, and a godly vision, is the end result will be more than a physical blessing. Jesus’ followers ought to feed the hungry and drill wells to provide clean water for people, and we ought to do it in Jesus’ name, so people will no it isn’t our vision. It is His! Jesus came to set the captives free. He came to heal the sick, cast demons out of the possessed, and to free each and all of us from bondage to sin and death. He calls us to do the same. While we are reading the Old Testament book of Proverbs, and King Solomon didn’t see any of that vision, he was right it proclaiming without a prophetic vision, a vision from the LORD, we will never make the kind of difference we were created to make.
Proverbs 30 introduces us to the sayings of “Agur.” This chapter is different in kind from the previous twenty chapters where we have read hundreds of sayings about the wise, the foolish, the wicked, and the righteous. Here Agur offers us lists of things that amazed him, typically in groupings of three or four, but let’s focus on one of the first groupings the two things he asked of the LORD. After admitting he wasn’t all that bright, and calling on the LORD for help, Agur asked the LORD to keep him from falsehood and lying, and to keep him from either poverty or riches. The first is self-explanatory: falsehood and lying lead us to places we don’t want to be: broken relationships, bad reputation, and in extreme cases prison and death. Agur explained why he didn’t want to be rich or poor. He was afraid if he became too rich he would forget God, but if he was too poor he would curse God. The wisdom of that request can be lost on those of us who live in a culture where nearly all of us are wealthy by the world’s standards, but don’t consider ourselves to be rich. The point is vital, though. We can trust in our wealth instead of the LORD. That’s why Jesus told us money would be the chief rival god in our lives. Unless, we rely fully on God whether we are rich, poor, or somewhere in between, we risk forgetting or cursing God, too.
Proverbs 31 consists of two parts and comes to us from “King Lemuel.” The first part tells us of King Lemuel’s mother’s advice to him and for all kings. The focus is on living uprightly and avoiding the pitfalls that can come with women, and with drinking strong drink. She advised Lemuel that strong drink ought to be reserved for the dying. We can conclude she was meaning it in the same way the dying in our time often receive morphine to reduce their pain. The major portion of chapter 31 is devoted to telling us what a virtuous woman is like. The detail is significant, and the characteristics are far beyond what we might expect of a woman in that day. She lives with integrity. She is industrious and not only at home, but in the marketplace as a business woman. She provides for her family, and shows charity to others. She brings blessing to our children and to her husband. Such a woman stands out in any era of history, and brings honor to the LORD, herself, and others.
As we return to Luke 22, the longest chapter in the book of Luke, we find recorded all the events from before the last supper, through to Jesus being condemned to die. While we could invest a great deal of time here, let’s turn to the moment Peter denied knowing Jesus for the third time. Only Luke tells us when Peter offered the third denial, he as standing next to Jesus. Jesus looked at Peter as he offered the third denial. What kind of look was it? A look of condemnation? A look of sadness? A look of love? We can only guess, but it would be a good guess that Jesus looked at Peter with love. He already knew Peter was going to deny Him. He had predicted it hours before. He already told Peter he would return to Jesus, so Jesus must have looked at Peter with love, compassion, and understanding. Even so, Peter went out and wept bitterly. His crime was grave, and he had carried it out in the presence of Jesus. Remember this: every crime is grave, and each of us carries them out in the presence of Jesus. He is looking at us all the time. He doesn’t look with condemnation. After all, the Apostle Paul told us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. But those penetrating eyes, call us to repentance. The Holy Spirit convicts. The devil condemns. Always remember, Jesus is looking, and calling us to follow Him, and to live out our calling as His followers. When we fall or fail, He is looking. He looks to restore us, so we can move forward loving Him and loving one another as He first loved us!