July 4–Song of Solomon 7-8, Isaiah 1

” ‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the Lord. . .’if you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’ Truly the mouth to the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 1:18-19).

Sin is unreasonable. Sold to us with the promise of pleasure, it actually brings destruction. It is the worst decision! Makes no sense!

The Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, understood this truth. Through the reigns of four kings, with Spirit-opened eyes, he saw a sin-damaged nation. “From the soul of the foot even to the head. . .only bruises, welts and raw wounds”(v 6). Crisis after crisis, God was disciplining Israel. Encountering only stubbornness, He was running out of places for further spanking.

“How is that working for you?” asks a famous modern talk-show counselor. When consequences came (their nation overrun with foreign armies, cities burned with fire, hearts paralyzed with anxiety) shouldn’t Israel have considered the Spiritual cause?

They were unwilling to do so. “They have forsaken the Lord,” thundered the prophet in v. 4. Modern readers will recognize the similarity to our own nation.

With great kindness, the Lord summoned His people to a better path. “Come and reason,” He said. The Hebrew word is yakah, “to decide together, to judge.” With great patience and mercy, God called them (calls us) into union with Him. Into reverent conversation and agreement. The promised results for those who seek the Lord in this way are positive. Always.

What if the best way to celebrate July 4 is not a family picnic or fireworks show? What if the best way to celebrate our nation and to secure its future welfare is to prioritize God’s call? A prayer meeting! A revival!

Sin is unreasonable. The wise path is for us to seek the Lord, His will, His friendship. “Come,” calls the Savior, still. “Let us decide the direction of your life, together.”

“If a sparrow cannot fall without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”(Ben Franklin).

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”(Acts 3:19).

July 3–Song of Solomon 1-6

“May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine”(1:2).

“My beloved is mine, and I am his”(2:16).

If you are puzzled reading the Song of Solomon, you are not alone.

It is a book with a long history. Many Jewish teachers regarded it as a picture and affirmation of conjugal love, a glorification of married sexual life, with all of its powerful attraction and satisfaction.

Through the centuries, however, other spiritually minded people have seen something different and deeper. To them, this book is primarily a narrative of God’s (the bridegroom) love for the church (His bride).

I recommend you view it both ways. Read it literally. Follow the story of a young shepherdess who catches the attention of King Solomon. Consider what it meant for her to accept/understand his attraction. To be loved by such a suitor! Listen as he promises to return to make her his bride. Learn to discern the various voices that tell the story. Sometimes the bride is speaking. Sometimes the bridegroom. Sometimes an unnamed chorus of observers.

Read it redemptively. Spiritually. Symbolically. Open your heart to a love (and a Lover) that you never imagined or deserved. What would life/eternity be if this great King loved YOU? Pursued YOU? Desired YOU?

At the center of the Universe is a LOVE STORY. God’s love for the human race. The Universe tells a story of great affection! Deep attraction! It is also a story of struggle as we learn to submit and trust. May the Spirit of God use this book to guide us to the life-altering LOVE.

“Do you love me because I am beautiful or am I beautiful because you love me?” (Kate McGahan).

“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such things; but that it should be holy and without blemish”(Ephesians 5:25-27).

July 2–Ecclesiastes 9-12

Dear friend, thank you for your interest in threepagesperday. I am grateful to have you near as we consider His excellent word together. As a reminder and encouragement, please be certain to read the words of Scripture before you consider my comments. Nothing substitutes for your own encounter with God’s word. Nothing! Thanks for joining me on this journey.

“For I have taken all this to my heart. . .wise men and their deeds are in the hand of God. Man does not know whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him. It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked. . .this is an evil in all that is done under the sun”(9:1-3).

Two things seem unfair to Solomon. No matter how hard you work, or what you achieve, life can never be certain (there is no predicting or controlling it). The ONLY certainty is death. Solomon struggles to accept this truth. It is “evil” he mutters in frustration.

His is a common protest. An expression of pride, actually. Despite the malignant promises of the serpent, and the frenzied efforts of our own will, we cannot be like God. Not in what He knows. (See 11:5.) Not in permanence. (See 12:13.) We are not independent or self-sufficient. God is both.

‘He’s got the whole world in His hands,” says the much-loved children’s song. Peace, therefore, can never be found in striving to be “more” than we were created to be. Peace comes in the humble and joyful union with God. We are NOT in control. He is.

Years ago, I read the poem, Invictus, by William Ernest Henley. “Out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. . .It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”

Pride is a hard road. For Henley. For Solomon. Claiming independence we find only anxiety. Humility is better. “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up”(James 4:10).

Dear one, are you struggling like Solomon or finding peace in the plans and hands of the Lord?

July 1–Ecclesiastes 4-8

“It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both”(7:18).

Some people don’t like Ecclesiastes. They avoid it. Life is depressing enough on its own. Who needs Solomon’s sadness?

Allowing our reluctance to engage in this emotionally complicated discussion, Solomon still urges us to listen. He calls himself “the Preacher” (1:1). It’s a name taken from a Hebrew word that means “to gather an assembly”. Similar to the Greek word for church (ecclesia, thus Ecclesiastes, the English name for this book). Solomon isn’t just griping and groaning. He has a sermon. Something he wants to say. Something of value.

Humans (all of us) have a difficult and glorious assignment. We are created to be both material and Spiritual. Made of dust AND animated by God’s breath (Spirit). Our lives make sense only when we embrace BOTH sides of our identity and hold them in proper balance/tension.

Material things matter! Family and friendship. Money and laughter. Professions and pleasures. All these give us context and joy. They are, however, insufficient reasons for life. Easily and often they become idols.

Our highest identity and assignment is Spiritual. It is a calling that requires focus and time. Solomon urges us to come into God’s presence with humility. “Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore, let your words be few” (5:2). Humble yourself. Wait. Do not rush this pursuit.

It is a beautiful balance we saw in our Lord. Up early to pray. Then later, the same day, out with crowds, teaching and healing. Spiritual pursuit, physical contribution. He did both, and He will teach us to do both, too!

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world”(Jesus, John 17:15-16).

“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

June 30–Ecclesiastes 1-3

“All things are wearisome. . .the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear filled with hearing. . .that which has been is what will be. . .there is nothing new under the sun”(1:8-9).

A sad story. At the end of life, Solomon was an empty and discouraged man.

Ecclesiastes is his testimony. “The wisest” man who ever lived! Frustrated and unsatisfied. A reminder to us all. Human wisdom is VERY limited in ultimate value.

Over time, Solomon drifted into a very negative space. He began to exclude God from the center. His priority shifted from revelation and faith to making sense of life “under the sun” (i.e. with a primary focus on material things, human logic). The world is not enough.

Like modern secularists, Solomon attempted to use only logic and science to understand the world and his place in it. Gradually, he lost interest/confidence in God as a basis for life.

Life does not work under these terms! Can’t. No satisfying answers can be found when the search is carried on “under the sun” (Under the umbrella of a material-only focus.) Without God, all things, family and friendships and achievements, eventually decay into “vanity”. Hebrew, hebel, “vapor, breath, something insubstantial, empty of permanent value”.

“If you try to live out Proverbs without Christ you get Ecclesiastes”(Andy De Hart).

Friend, do you have a place in your heart (in your schedule and priorities and thoughts) for invisible realities? Do you realize that you NEED God? Not only because it is right to praise Him, but because life does not WORK any other way?

“With God, life is an endless hope. Without God, life is a hopeless end” (Bill Bright).

“Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God”(Colossians 3:2-3).

June 29–Proverbs 28-31

“A man who hardens his neck after much reproof will suddenly be broken beyond remedy”(29:1).

Godly reproof is a gift. It is evidence of love. (Please see yesterday’s blog.) Correction, however, is beneficial only when it is received. God’s grace comes to the humble, the repentant.

Proverbs 29 warns against “hardening of the neck”. Vivid picture. Stubborn mule. Doesn’t want to move forward. Resists by stiffening his neck. Pulling back against the owner’s tugging rope. “Kicking against the goads,” is a similar Biblical phrase for this familiar and foolish obstinance. See Acts 26:14.

God is patient. Slow to anger. Even so, consequences eventually come to those who resist His will. A point-of-no-return is reached, and the threatened destruction suddenly comes. No further warnings given.

As Solomon wrote this proverb, I wonder if he thought of his father. Reproved by Nathan (2 Samuel 12), David received the correction with a humble heart and open confession. By humbling himself, David saved his kingdom and his soon-to-be-born son (Solomon). David did NOT harden his neck! Such wisdom!

Am I a stubborn mule? Proud? Hard to convince? Do I resist the Spirit? It is a dangerous place to be. The “old man” in me does not submit to the Law of God. He is not able to do so. See Romans 8:7. Only as I walk in the Spirit do I receive the corrections of God with a soft and pliable heart. God reproves those He loves. Those who love Him listen and yield.

“He who conceals his transgression will not prosper; But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion” (Proverbs 28:13).

“Have Thine own way, Lord. Have Thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me after Thy will, while I am waiting yielded and still” (Adelaide Pollard).

June 28-Proverbs 25-27

“Like an earring of gold and an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear”(25:12).

It is a gift of love. It can, however, be painful and has the potential to “go badly”. We, therefore, avoid it more often than we should. Scripture teaches us to reprove each other.

The Hebrew word is yakach. It means “to get in front of.” The current version of this idiom is, “to get in his face”.

“Judge not,” does not forbid every kind of moral discernment. “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk,” goes the modern proverb. Sincere love demands from us the courage to help each other correct moral mistakes, avoid moral dangers.

Reproof must be done with wisdom. Carefully. Without any hint of criticism or arrogance. “You who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted”(Galatians 6). Much prayer is required. The wise reprieve must deal first with his own arrogance and pride. “Take the beam out of your own eye, then deal with the speck in my brother’s eye,” said Jesus with considerable insight.

It must also be done with balance. Nine parts encouragement to one part reproof is a wise ratio. If a child (or a friend) only hears criticism, he will stop listening altogether.

Think of our Lord reproving the disciples for their unbelief (Matthew 8:26). Think of Him challenging Peter for his opposition to the cross (Matthew 16:22). Reproof isn’t the absence of love. It is often the proof of it.

Easier to stay silent? Yes. Required by genuine love? Yes.

“Unfortunately, we’ve rewarded a sort of cowardice by calling it ‘kindness’, and this has made us utterly spineless when truth finally hits” (Criss Jami).

“Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”(27:17).

“All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”(2 Timothy 3:16-17, italics mine).

June 27–Proverbs 21-24

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old, he will not depart from it”(22:6).

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him”(22:15).

Scripture speaks about child rearing. Clearly. Often. “Raising a child in the way he should go, “is the great duty of every parent.” “When he is old, he will not depart from it,” is probability rather than promise, says Chuck Swindoll. Even so, it is a great statement of a parent’s power. When taught with wisdom and grace and love and humility before the Lord, early religious/moral training has a positive and permanent impact.

Proverbs 22:15 and 23:13-14 are pointed reminders of the “rod of discipline”. While popular opinion has (at some level) turned away from any use of “spanking” as a valid part of a comprehensive plan of discipline, the Bible disagrees. Christians who trust the scripture for wisdom in things of heaven are wise to also do so in things of home.

“Research supports the fact that, when used correctly and infrequently, and as one of many discipline forms, spanking has been a common factor in kids with well-developed self-motivation, empathy, morality and character”(James Dobson).

As you raise your children, do you listen to the culture for wisdom? (Look around you, please. How is the culture’s wisdom working?) Or, as HIS child, will you trust YOUR child to the wisdom and discipline of God?

“Children are the next generation under construction” (Craig D. Lounsbrough).

“These words shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons”(Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

“God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”(Hebrews 12:7).

June 26–Proverbs 17-20

Proverbs often speaks about anger. Over, and over, the Spirit warns us of anger’s potential for harm. There are times (some) when anger is appropriate, necessary and right. There are also times (many) when it is undisciplined and destructive. “Be angry, but sin not,” says Ephesians 4:26, with considered caution.

Today’s text speaks wisdom on this subject. Friend, have you learned anger management?

“The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out”(17:14). Use the off ramp! Recognize the dangers of escalation! Walk away before you create a destructive situation!

“A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, it is his glory to overlook a transgression”(19:11). Don’t react! Anger (acting on it, staying in it) is a choice. Emotions can be (and should be) brought under the control of your mind and higher conscience. Be “quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,” says James 1:19.

“A man of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again”(19:19). Self examination is wise. Is this a pattern for me? Am I angry often? Am I a man of great (large or frequent) anger? Honest, now! Submit yourself to God and His counsel.

“Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, for any fool will quarrel”(20:3). Even when you are right, the higher road may be to yield. How strange the pride that makes a man feel it is his right to feel/express anger. “Let your yieldedness be known to all men,” is one possible/helpful translation of Philippians 4:5.

An angry person is neither wise, nor worthy of leadership. God regularly warns us. Dear friend, whether in words, on Facebook, in politics, in the hidden thoughts of your heart, are you managing your anger, or it is managing you?

“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it”(Marcus Aurelius).

“Do not associate with a man given to anger. . .or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself” (Proverbs 22:24-25).

June 25–Proverbs 14-16

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”(14:11-12).

In John 14, our Lord called Himself “the Way”. By the use of this word, our Savior teaches (and the Proverbs affirm) three important lessons.

Our lives are not static. We are on our way to somewhere. Always. Like a river, our lives move forward. I must never fear new seasons of life, or new assignments from the Lord. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives. . .to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). I must never stop growing or getting forward. Jesus is not a place to stop and stay, He is the WAY.

Our lives require COURAGEOUS CHOICE. High stakes involved. A morally beautiful God did not create a morally ambivalent world! Creation is partisan toward righteousness. The Creator requires it. The wicked will be destroyed. The upright will flourish. The Bible never apologizes for the solid steel of this moral vision. We are to CHOOSE.

True wisdom is CHRIST. While the Proverbs do not name the coming Savior, by warning us against self-reliance they prepare us for Him. “Lean NOT on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3). There will be choices (many) that make good, logical sense to me (just as they did to Eve). I must never trust my own wisdom or feelings! “There is none righteous, not one.” Apart from the Shepherd’s voice I will surely fail.

Christ is not a means to an end. He is the end and the means. Is your heart convinced, dear one? Have you committed to walk in union with Christ? Is He your way?

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’ “(John 14:5-6).

“Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us by the way?” (Luke 24:31. KJV).