" Hatred stirreth up strifes: but --love covereth all sins--"
Proverbs 10:12
"Receive my {Wisdom's} instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.
I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate. Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
-I love them that -love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.
Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures....
.... But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death. " - Proverbs 8:10-21 ... 36
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Love in the Bible is all encompassing. God is Love, we are commanded to Love Him with all our being, and to Love our neighbors as ourselves. It is the fulfilment of the Law, a gift of the Spirit. Walking in love and truth is acceptable and pleasing to Him... and it is His Banner over us!
It is not an abstract concept.Every human being has felt/experienced, even if briefly, the glow of warmth and security of being loved, and the emotions that come with loving others. Love requires and imparts strength of character & sacrifice, it endures suffering, constantly nourishes hope, and covers our transgressions, paying for them in Christ's own blood. Love casts out fear. Love is very real... or should we more properly say, the IDEA of love (sacrificial, "agape" love) is the highest moral concept amongst the ones that swirl around in our brain.
We are information processing organisms that are swimming in an ocean of data. It is all around us... expressed as patterns of matter and energy that we label as trees, rocks, food, clothing etc. A virus, is nothing but a molecule of information, as is our DNA, which contains the data, and the blueprint for constructing our generic (human) , and specific (me ) body.
We consume information with our sense organs, sight, sound, touch, smell, taste ---- and have maps for what it means in our brain. We actually process information ... eating one kind of information (e.g. shaped like an apple), and processing it into sugar in our digestive system, so that we can keep our information pattern (our body and brain) intact! We output information --- create new ideas, make new things. You may not have thought about 'living' in quite this way, but this is the way it happens!
The physical connects to the mental/spiritual. We have sense/feeling, emotions, and then thought in that order.
Feelings & senses connect to very primitive --ideas and concepts--- like pleasure/pain/danger ... they are essential to our survival... fight/flight responses.
The next layer up are emotions.... fear, anger, envy, hate, jealousy, happiness, sorrow... these are more complex ideas, but grow out of situations we encounted in the world. A bully hits you with his/her fist ... you sense pain, but then the pain connects with anger or fear,sorrow.... you may "see" a person flaunting a new car or dress, and that connects with the feeling/idea of envy/jealousy. Animals do not operate higher than this level....
At the very highest level, we have conscious, intentional thought ---- here lives the "abstract" ideas related to morality, ethics, existential questions, desires, drives, plans...and the nature of our spiritual existence! In the ---spiritual realm---, -----ideas & character------ are the very REAL currency - and there is good money and bad money! (Love vs Hate)
And the highest IDEA is love.
Love is a relationship between a thinker and the object of his/her thought. It is a conscious choice to seek the well being of another, even though that person may have inflicted physical or emotional injury on the one loving them. It is personified in the very nature of God Himself who knew about, and --covered all our sins-- from the beginning of the world!
The Bible is a manual for spiritual growth... material/physical success is almost a given/afterthought. The ideas in it are designed to help spiritual beings like us evolve to be like HIM!
The Work of the Word is to give us INFORMATION to eat (and the Holy Spirit to help us digest it and transform or thinking) so that like our physical food, we have the energy and the capability to carry our cross in this fallen world.
Make wise choices = lead happy lives. Renew our minds and spirit!
The Book of Proverbs draws our attention to what to love above all things... WISDOM ... as we have previously mentioned, this is a SPIRITUAL IDEA, and all about making correct and skillful choices, the first being to pursue Wisdom, and the Knowledge of the LORD... through His Word!
Our second text this week enjoins us to LOVE wisdom... that is, make a conscious choice to diligently seek her... and reap the rewards of so doing. Choosing not to listen is like loving death! That is the highest idea expressed in the book, and occupies most of the first 9 chapters.
In the remainder of the book, we come across just a few thumbnails, which tell us other things to love, and things to avoid!
SET A: THINGS NOT TO LOVE
Pro_1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love --simplicity-- ? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Simplicity is a wilful hiding of one's head in the sand, unwilling to open ones eyes and deal with the reality all around us. Scorners will not listen to arguments backed by data, and fools will question the value of data (knowledge) itself! We agree with the Word... that is a very dumb way to go through life!
Pro_20:13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
We talked about slothfulness earlier, here we see it reinforced --- don't shut your eyes to your responsibilities -- open them and act!
Pro_15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.
We discussed this last week... true love is more often found among peope who have nothing but each other, and absent from the halls of those rich in possessions.
ACTS OF LOVE
Pro_9:8 Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.
Rebuke an act of love? Yes indeed... a smart person will recognize when they are wrong and immediately course correct... a scorner will hate you for bringing up facts that don't jive with their world-view.
Pro_16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.
Speaking the truth in love... gives you favor amongst the very great!
Pro_18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
IDEAS are the real currency for spiritual beings, and worth their weight in gold even in the material world! Joseph was probably the first management consultant to Pharoah as regards overcoming a famine... and look where it got him!
Pro_17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.
On our theme of love covering sins... Love keeps no account of wrongs... but moves beyond them... contrast that with the behaviour of one who intentionally uses gossip/truth to drive a wedge between friends!
Pro_27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear { LISTEN, PROCESS, DIGEST } my voice { WORD }, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. { His Word, alive in you! }
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. "
- Rev 3:19-22
Hallelujah!