Remove the Dross

Remove the dross from the silver,
    and the smith has material for a vessel;
remove the wicked from the presence of the king,
    and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Prov. 25:4 - 5

Removing dross is equated with removing wickedness and as one produces material that is worthy of making something honorable, so removing wickedness makes the kingdom that much more honorable.  Thus God, the Great King, is removing evil from us.  We see Him removing evil from every corner of His kingdom too!

As deputies in God's kingdom we are to participate in this clean up.  We participate primarily by subduing the sin and fleshly desires within our own hearts and then by exerting influence on our spheres of influence around us.  We see this is done in this chapter by:

• vv. 6 - 7 — Not being proud; not exalting self.  Selfishness is the largest source of dross.
• vv. 11 - 12 — Having apt and fitting words.
• Col. 4:6 tells us to make sure that our words are filled with grace and seasoned with salt.  Salt is something that adds good flavor to a bland taste or even helps cover the bitter taste.  Salt also stops or slows the rot and helps preserve the food.  In the same way our speech should give a pleasant flavor to the conversation and stop or slow down the evil, moral rot of society.
• Whatever is of good report and is noble we are to think on—and out of our thinking our words are to flow.  This helps extend God's kingdom and removes the dross from society.
• v. 13 — Be trustworthy.
• v. 21 - 22 — Aid those all around us.  Be friendly; don't be stingy.
• v. 23 — KJV:  "The north wind brings forth rain; and a backbiting tongue, angry looks."
• The north wind drives away rain.  Therefore you do your part to drive away and check evil speech.  Do not be part of it and do what you can to stop it and let it be known that you will not countenance such evil manners.  It may only take a sharp look or a frown to remind a friend that their tongue has veered off into sin.  But you much be ready to back up that disapproving look with sharp words if necessary.
• v. 28.  Finally, it does little good to drive evil out if your own walls are broken down.  Therefore, be self-controlled and guard your heart well, for it is the well-spring of life.  Self-control is listed in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22 - 23) so it is no stretch to say that being self-controlled is really being Spirit-controlled.  The surest way to guard your heart and to ensure that your walls are well fortified is to make sure that you are filled with the Spirit and are listening to what He tells you.

Do this and you will be a faithful deputy in God's kingdom, ruling in your small arena and purging evil from your sphere.  Especially from within your heart.

God Moves

God moves.
    The Sovereign Lord of Time and Space
    Enacts His will with measured pace;
Yet scoffers think Him slow.

God acts.
    The Creator of earth's furthest bound,
    Sits patiently in Heaven crowned
With every wreath of empires.

God works.
    His Sovereign glory brought to light
    His children's good enforced by Might,
All to His praise forever!

- D. Benning

Well-Advised Wisdom

Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.  (NIV, 1984)

Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. (KJV)


Prov. 13:10

Note the contrast between pride and taking advice—between arrogance and wisdom.  You cannot become wise if you are proud.  The proud person refuses to admit they need anything more and thus rejects any advice (to their shame and to their harm).

How then can we become wise?

• It is important then to be humble in order to become wise.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  The "fear of the Lord" is another way of saying that you are not proud.  If you see God, you cannot remain arrogant.
• Pr. 13:20 says that the person who walks with the wise shall be wise.  Who you hang out with really matters.  Fellowship often with those who are godly and adopt their godly mannerisms and habits.
• Pr. 13:1 says a wise son heeds (hears and does) his father's instruction.  Therefore listen to what your father says and instructs.  By extension, "father" stands for all proper authorities over us.  Listen to what they say, command, suggest, etc.  This includes your pastor, elders, parents, boss, teachers, government officials, etc.  Hear and do.  Don't "hear and argue or chafe or complain."
• James 1:5 says that if you lack wisdom, ask of God; he will give it to you.  Ultimately, none of us are all that wise.  Some of us have more nature, innate foolishness within than any sort of good wisdom and common sense.  Humble yourself and ask God for help.  Ask Him for wisdom about the things that you know that you need wisdom for—but there are probably a dozen other things that you don't even see yet that you need help in.  Why?  Because you don't even have the wisdom necessary to see that there's a problem coming.

Do not be wise in your own eyes (Pr. 3:7).  That is using the wrong weight to measure yourself.  God finds false weights and incorrect measures to be an abomination (Pr. 11:1).  Pride is the worst form of incorrect measuring in God's eyes.

What is the result of gaining wisdom?

Proverbs 16:21 says

• (NIV) "The wise in heart are discerning...."   
• Discerning == "showing insight & judgment; being perceptive."
• (KJV) "The wise in heart shall be called prudent...."
• Prudent == "wise in handling practical matters"

These are necessary qualities to be a leader.  You may not be called upon to be a pastor or a president of a corporation, but you will have leadership roles thrust upon you.  It is part of maturing.  Don't think that you can duck that by saying "Oh, I'm just going to be a housewife."  No, you will have children and you will have to lead them (under your husband, yes, just as he is under the authority of the church).

A leader needs to be perceptive and have insight.  A leader will know where that road leads without having to take it the whole way.  A leader anticipates outcomes and problems and heads off disaster before it arrives.  A leader reads the signs ("Bridge out") and quickly makes a decision for a new plan of moving forward.  He doesn't have to go down that road to discover what "Bridge out" really means

Some call it the "Sheepdog" mentality.  The sheep are busy grazing: "Oooh, look!  Grass!  Ooooh!  and another clump over here!  Yummy!"  But the Sheepdog is watching, moves a wandering sheep back into the flock, watching the whole scene and chases down a wolf before most of the flock even noticed there was a problem.

In Genesis 16:13, after Hagar was found by the Angel and given water, she called God "The Lord who sees."  That is a Leader.  This "seeing" is not a passive watching like someone watching a good show on TV.  No it is seeing the need, anticipating the problem and providing a solution—sometimes even before we know we were in trouble.  We are called to be leaders like that.  See the need from afar and provide direction, solution, or whatever is best at exactly the right time.

Eph 5:25 tells us that husbands are to love their wives exactly as Christ loves the church.  Christ saw our need long before we did and then He provided everything for us His bride.  We are to do that in our rolls of leadership for those under us.

It tells us who we are to be, to become and what sort of spouse we are to look for.  It is a high calling, one that requires a great deal of wisdom.  But Christ is our Wisdom.  We must humble ourselves daily (and even more often) to ask for this wisdom that we will do that next good and right thing which is pleasing in His eyes.  The best leaders are those that follow their authorities the closest.

Habakkuk's Song

Though the fig tree will not blossom,
   Though the grapes fall from the vine,
Though our every crop be failing,
   Though the sun refuse to shine,
Yet will I command my soul to praise our God,
   To praise His holy Name;
He is my joy and strength and salvation,
   And life within my frame.
Oh magnify the Lord with me,
   Let earth and sky rejoice!
He sits enthroned in might and pow'r,
   Yet hears His children's voice.

- D. Benning

Hab 3:17 - 19

The Boundary Lines

And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their clans.....Beth-jeshimoth,  that is, all the cities of the tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the princes of Sihon, who lived in the land.  Balaam also, the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with the sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain.
Josh 13:15 - 22

Why did Joshua make sure to list off the names of the bad kings along with Balaam when giving a description of the tribal inheritance of Reuban?  To the modern ear it makes more sense to list the places analytically: Jordan river, to the Dead Sea turn east at Mount Pisgah, etc.

But there is an important reason for inclusion of the names of these wicked people:

O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab devised,
    and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him,
and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal,
    that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord
Micah 6:5

The people were to remember and the know what the Lord had done.  Those boundaries were to be lines of demarcation as well as spiritual memory aids.  Every time they reviewed where they lived, they would recall those wicked men and then remember how the Lord had done marvelous things on their behalf!

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
    you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
    indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
Psalm 16:5 - 6

Do we consider our boundary lines and do we consider all that the Lord has done for us?  Or is there whining and restlessness, wanting something that the Lord had not given us.  Consider these Reubanites.  A little while later, Deborah sings the song of triumph but includes a rebuke of that tribe:

Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds,
    to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
    there were great searchings of heart.
Judges 5:15b - 16

Reuben (as well as Gad and Manasseh) put their personal interests ahead of the public good.  They chose for themselves instead of letting the Lord choose their portion.  They could not say that the boundary line fell in pleasant places for they grasped their own destiny.

In a very real way, everyone who has left the Christian faith and broken covenant with God and with one another has done so by putting their own private interests ahead of the good of the Kingdom of God and the kingdom as expressed in a local church.  The same fate still awaits such today.

This initial settling of the tribes based upon personal interest over public good is echoed in Deborah's song a hundred years or so later.  And it was the reason why these tribes were the first to feel the effects of God's displeasure in having foreign kings molest them.  They were the first of the tribes to go into captivity.  (See 1 Chr 5:25 - 26.)

In a negative sort of way, the tribe of Reuben proved the truth of Proverbs 3:5 - 6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.
Prov. 3:5 - 6

We should then make sure to review our boundary lines with joy and great thanksgiving.  We must see how pleasantly God has ordain our lot.  We must understand the truth of what Spurgeon wrote:

Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances, and if you had the choosing of your lot, you would soon cry, "Lord, choose my inheritance for me, for by my self-will I am pierced through with many sorrows." Be content with such things as you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good.

Morning and Evening, Nov. 11 pm