Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

You cannot separate fools from their foolishness,
    even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
Know the state of your flocks,
    and put your heart into caring for your herds,
for riches don’t last forever,
    and the crown might not be passed to the next generation.
After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears
    and the mountain grasses are gathered in,
your sheep will provide wool for clothing,
    and your goats will provide the price of a field.
And you will have enough goats’ milk for yourself,
    your family, and your servant girls.

• Proverbs 27:22-27

Proverbs 27:18 ”In 1900, the average person living in the United States wanted seventy-two different things and considered eighteen of them essential. Today the average person wants five hundred things and considers one hundred of them essential.
“Our obsession with stuff carries a hefty price tag. Eighty percent of us battle the pressure of overdue bills. We spend 110 percent of our disposable income trying to manage debt. And who can keep up? We no longer measure ourselves against the Joneses next door but against the star on the screen or the stud on the magazine cover. Hollywood’s diamonds make yours look like a gumball-machine toy. Who can satisfy Madison Avenue? No one can. For that reason Jesus warns, ‘Be careful and guard against all kinds of greed’ (Luke 12:15).”

• Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life

The Message

I doubt if Solomon was suggesting we grind the fools in our lives until they are powder.  At times, you might think of doing that…  Never mind, when I have thought of that, it was not a memory that I would wish to relive.

But the point he is making is that foolish behavior of a fool is kind of par for the course.  If you have had one of “those” in your circle of friends and family, you know that they never seemed to quit.  But we can pray if their foolishness stems from not knowing God and their foolish behavior is a cry for help.

Then, the rest of this chapter is basically saying for us to be content with what we have and be good stewards of the flocks and herds that are ours.  God may not allow us much, but he allows us enough.

I am reminded of a situation that occurred a little over twenty-five years ago.  I was a member of the choir, and the highly liberal pastor invited every choir member into the manse for a meal, probably a thank you for the Christmas cantata or the multiple worship services with special music for Holy Week.

As we roamed his small house, too many guests for anyone to sit down, there was what many call a laughing buddha next to his fireplace.  It was about two feet in height, so rather large and expensive.  He suggested that each of us lay prostrate before the laughing buddha and then stretch our head upward to kiss the statue on the belly.  If we did that, the laughing buddha would give you a special blessing.  My wife was offended as the choir members formed a line to do as the liberal pastor suggested.

I took my offense to the source.  I cornered the pastor in the kitchen and told him about having just returned from Thailand where I visited a Buddhist temple on one of my rare days off.  The “Laughing Buddha” was not a “buddha” at all.  It was an artistic allegory.  It was a monk with all his belongings in a bag that he held over his shoulder.  He laughs with his meager possessions because he is content with what he has.  The statue, or graven image, or false god, or idol, whichever you prefer…  The Laughing Buddha is not there to grant anyone a special blessing or three wishes, it is to remind you to not want more than what you have been given.

The pastor laughed in my face.  He retired a couple of years later.  Maybe he doesn’t lead people astray anymore.

Let us be content.  God gives us our needs.  If we do not think that to be enough, we should reevaluate our lifestyle.

And now let us sing.

The following song is Satisfied.  This is sung by Chris Tomlin.

Closing Prayer

Dear Lord,
We need Your wisdom.  Help us to value wisdom.  Lord, help us realize that the fool in our lives cannot be “fixed” unless they know they need fixing.  And Lord, it is hard to be content in this world of rampant consumerism.  But even as we find our neighbors lapping us as they make laps on the consumer treadmill, we must remember that you give us all that we need.  We must be content.  In thy Name we pray.
Amen

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.