Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

If you take your neighbor to court,
    do not betray another’s confidence,
or the one who hears it may shame you
    and the charge against you will stand.
Like apples of gold in settings of silver
    is a ruling rightly given.
Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
    is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.
Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
    is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
    he refreshes the spirit of his master.
Like clouds and wind without rain
    is one who boasts of gifts never given.

• Proverbs 25:9-14

Proverbs 25:11 ”We should all have several Bibles: a well-bound reference Bible for study and a large-print, plaintext Bible for devotional reading. That many at least. And if we can afford it (and we can if we will cut down somewhere else), we should have a good modern translation or two. There are dozens of them. Their chief value is to stimulate interest by affording a change of style and to throw sidelights upon the text of the familiar King James Version.
“Money invested in Bibles is money well spent. Time spent in reading the Bible is not likely to be time wasted. The Bible is the supreme gift for friends and loved ones. Words spoken in favor of the Bible are good words and, if they should fall upon the right ears, might prove to be ‘apples of gold in pictures of silver.’ ”

• A. W. Tozer, We Travel an Appointed Way

The Message

The proverb in Proverbs 25:9-10 speaks of the intricacies of a lawsuit.  If your only focus is to win the case, most lawyers will “do anything” to win the case.  In many civil suits, the lawyer does not make money unless they get money for you.  So, if you must hurt the reputation of other friends, then you may lose the case and lose those friends.  Even with a small amount of money, you are worse off.

My wife and I always looked at the big picture when we had reason to file a lawsuit.  Who else might it hurt?  What happens to our reputation?  And as a Christian, we are taught to forgive, so what happens within our heart?

I think my mother repeated the phrase thousands of times without completing Proverbs 25:11-12.  Saying “apples of gold” without context does not edify.  A few times, I looked it up, although a book by that title was forever in a small box on the coffee table, rarely ever opening the box.

But the apples of gold apply to a righteous, and rightly given, judgment.  Even if this judgment is a rebuke, if we have a willingness to seek wisdom, we will gladly accept the rebuke.

Ah!  With context and a lifetime of being judged, rightly and wrongly, I can now look back and wish that I had listened, in case my mother said anything other than “apples of gold.”  Maybe some of the injuries in life would not be aching today.

Now this last proverb is again a difficult one to decipher.  Snow-cooled rarely happens at harvest time unless the harvest is at a considerable elevation.  Rev. MacArthur suggests that an ice-cold refreshment at harvest time would be a welcome treat when the days are long to complete the harvest, and it might be in late summer, or early autumn when the weather is still hot.

But having been in wine-making country, ice wine is made from grapes picked after the first frost.  There may not be much wine from grapes picked that late, but the wine is exceptionally good wine and priced accordingly.  This would be refreshing to the master.

But a gift never given refreshes no one.  Or in my case, I was never able to say thank you.  My wife always thought of others, but in her last couple of years, she would buy gifts and hide them.  Then, she would forget all about that gift and buy something else.  When I cleaned her room, I found gifts that had been intended for me and a couple of the grandchildren.  When those grandchildren came for the memorial service, after she passed away, we had a few Christmas treats in June.  But one of the gifts for me was at least two years old.

A cloud that does not produce rain…

And now let us sing.

The following song is God of Grace and God of Glory.  This is sung by Uzee Brown Jr, James Abbington & the Uzee Brown Society of Choraliers.  Grant us wisdom.  Grant us courage.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  Help us to value wisdom.  God, show us patience.  We get all we need from You.  It would be a rare thing if a lawsuit would be necessary.  That only gets us money, when we lost so much in the reason for the lawsuit and the lawsuit itself.  Help us to learn from our mistakes, even the rebuke after we have been justly judged.  And may we follow through by giving good gifts to others, whether they notice or not is another thing entirely.  In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.