Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise adorns knowledge,
    but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
    keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
    but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
A fool spurns a parent’s discipline,
    but whoever heeds correction shows prudence.
The house of the righteous contains great treasure,
    but the income of the wicked brings ruin.
The lips of the wise spread knowledge,
    but the hearts of fools are not upright.
The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
    but the prayer of the upright pleases him.
The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
    but he loves those who pursue righteousness.

• Proverbs 15:1-9

Proverbs 15:9 ”Perhaps the wound is old. A parent abused you. A teacher slighted you. A mate betrayed you … And you are angry.
“Or perhaps the wound is fresh. The friend who owes you money just drove by in a new car. The boss who hired you with promises of promotions has forgotten how to pronounce your name … And you are hurt.
“Part of you is broken, and the other part is bitter. Part of you wants to cry, and part of you wants to fight … There is a fire burning in your heart. It’s the fire of anger …
“And you are left with a decision. ‘Do I put the fire out or heat it up? Do I get over it or get even? Do I release it or resent it? Do I let my hurts heal, or do I let hurt turn into hate?” …
“Unfaithfulness is wrong. Revenge is bad. But the worst part of all is that, without forgiveness, bitterness is all that is left.”

• Max Lucado, The Applause of Heaven

Proverbs 15:1 reminds me of an old battalion executive officer (XO) who smiled at me for a half hour while explaining the mistake I had made.  I left his office thinking that I had to at least right the wrong I had done financially, by whatever means I had – and he had gotten me to deeply desire to do so.  All because he delivered the verbal rebuke in a gentle manner.  My father’s mother, Mammy, a retired one-room-schoolhouse marm, was like that also.  No raised voice, no hint that she was displeased, but she had a way of you stopping what you were doing to listen to her dignified, quiet voice.  She might whisper, “These are the rules, children. …”  And I think that ties into the next verse.  When Mammy spoke, you knew her words were golden.

Proverbs 15:4-5, 7 seem to follow.  The corollary in verse 2 is foolish talk where in verse 4 it is perverse.  But verse 5 ties into discipline and how the wise learn from discipline.  I have seen too many young people disrespect their parents and despise the punishment because they thought what they did was not really that much wrong, although people might have been injured.  Discipline, in whatever form, must be instructive to identify the wrong and correct it – getting back to that battalion XO that I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Proverbs 15:3 is a warning.  God is everywhere.  Nothing misses His gaze.  Evil lurks in shadows, yet God still sees.  I was taught that in my youth, but as you get older, one seems to forget, at least on occasion.  And with the attitude of many of the youth of today, I wonder if they are even taught that God is everywhere.  He sees everything, and He can hear every thought much less the spoken words.  Either they are not taught, or many children today do not learn proper respect.

While not a guarantee, Solomon speaks of the righteous living with great treasure while the wicked have ruin.  In the end, this will be the case, but maybe not in this life.  Yet, if Rehoboam had listened, his kingdom would have prospered.

Proverbs 15:8-9 speaks of how the wicked worship and their way of doing things.  God detests them both.  It was not that Cain worshipped wrong, but it was what was in his heart that God detested.  In many cases, what is in our heart leads us to worship with an improper spirit so that our worship and the way we do everything becomes sin in God’s eyes.  Our heart must be attuned to God’s Way and His Will.

And now let us sing.

The following song is I Will Cast All My Cares Upon You.  It is sung by the Asidors, just the children.

“I cast all my cares upon you
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet
and anytime I don’t know just what to do
I will cast all my cares upon you

I cast all my cares upon you
I lay all of my burdens down at Your feet
and anytime I don’t know just what to do
I will cast all my cares upon you
I will cast all my cares upon you

and anytime I don’t know just what to do
I will cast all my cares upon you
I will cast all my cares upon you

• Kelly Willard, I Cast All My Cares Upon You

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  Sometimes, Lord, we do not like the punishment that our sin naturally causes, but we must learn from it, and repent of our sin.  We especially should be slow to speak, measuring our words carefully.  And whenever we come to You, oh Lord, may we always be reverent and in awe in Your presence.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.