Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
    whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.
The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
    and the unfaithful for the upright.
Better to live in a desert
    than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.
The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
    but fools gulp theirs down.
Whoever pursues righteousness and love
    finds life, prosperity and honor.
One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty
    and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
    keep themselves from calamity.
The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name—
    behaves with insolent fury.

• Proverbs 21:17-24

Proverbs 21:21 ” In our world, contentment is a strange street vendor, roaming, looking for a home, but seldom finding an open door. He moves slowly from house to house, knocking on doors, offering his wares: an hour of peace, a smile of acceptance, a sigh of relief. But his goods are seldom taken. We are too busy to be content.
” ‘Not now, thank you. I’ve too much to do,’ we say. ‘Too many marks to be made, too many achievements to be achieved … ‘
“So the vendor moves on. When I asked him why so few welcomed him into their homes, his answer left me convicted. ‘I charge a high price, you know. My fee is steep. I ask people to trade in their schedules, frustrations, and anxieties. l demand that they put a torch to their fourteen hour days and sleepless nights. You’d think I’d have more buyers.’ He scratched his beard, then added pensively, ‘But people seem strangely proud of their ulcers and headaches.’”

• Max Lucado, No Wonder They Call Him the Savior

The Message

Proverbs 21:17 takes a different look at the sluggard.  The one that seeks pleasure is like the one who plays video games from morning until night, and sometimes through the night.  Those that love olive oil and wine.  Those are kinds of pleasure, but there are many uses of olive oil.  Burning the midnight oil in those days basically meant using olive oil, but then it can be used in cooking.  You can drink wine, as is the probable context here, but wine is used in cooking also.  To carry the point of olive oil and wine further, Proverbs 21:20 speaks of storing up these important commodities.  The fool will make merry with what is available, but there will come a day when the supply runs out.  But for the prudent person, there is always something stored away.  This could apply to anything that has lasting value, wine and olive oil were those commodities of the time.  Today they stand as a mere metaphor.

Proverbs 21:18 may happen someday, but the wicked and the unfaithful seem to have the upper hand.  But considering the previous verse, the wicked and unfaithful will fall prey to the enticements of this world and be ensnared by them.  While the righteous and upright will gain the advantage, even in a lowly state.

Proverbs 21:19 again covers the theme of a quarrelsome wife, as in Proverbs 21:9.  Solomon had 700 wives.  If you please one, you will have 699 quarrelsome wives.  But in picking the one, and that goes for the wife looking for a “good” man, think of making a lifelong commitment.  To be honest, with my wife having passed away, I even miss the quarrelsome times.  With her, there were so few of those days.

Max Lucado provides a good fable for Proverbs 21:21.  Who would not like to have life, prosperity and honor, but often we get the ulcers while the wise path might have been easier.  It would have definitely been easier on the body.

Proverbs 21:22 alludes to the made-up word that Saturday Night Live used to poke fun at George W. Bush. “strategery.”  The president, at the time, liked it so much that he used it, and the word is now in the dictionary for a made-up nonsense word.  But, having been a military officer, planning for offensive and defensive operations were the things that tore at my heart strings.  If I did not plan it right, someone might die.  Great wisdom minimizes the losses while getting the mission accomplished.

The last two proverbs are sort of two sides of the same coin.  The person that guards their speech are okay, but the mockers get into trouble.

And now let us sing.

The following song is Dream for You.  This is sung by Casting Crowns.  What are these proverbs other than understanding that we cannot, but God can.  So, why not have God dream for you.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  We come again to You Lord with the same requests that we have made before.  We too often forget.  We too often screw up.  You have to remind us over and over to not be sluggards, too be righteous and to be wise.  But if a falsehood looks good as it passes, we will follow.  Solomon had repetition in his proverbs because he knew that saying it once or twice would not suffice.  Please forgive us and remind us again and again.
In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.