Every Word of God is Flawless

 Read Proverbs 30

Think back to when your read Job.  Job wanted an audience with God.  If he could only present his case to God, God would see things his way.

The conversation did not go as Job expected.  God asked Job—rhetorically-where he was when the earth was created.  Who was it that told the oceans that could go this far and no farther? 

Job saw what he had gotten himself into, but it was too late.  God told him it was his turn to listen.

Now consider the first part of Proverbs 30.  It’s much like a lessons learned set of prose from Job.

The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh—an inspired utterance.  I will talk a little about some people you probably don’t know too well in the next service.

This man’s utterance to Ithiel:

I am weary, God,

    but I can prevail.

Surely I am only a brute, not a man;

    I do not have human understanding.

I have not learned wisdom,

    nor have I attained to the knowledge of the Holy One.

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?

    Whose hands have gathered up the wind?

Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?

    Who has established all the ends of the earth?

What is his name, and what is the name of his son?

    Surely you know!

Every word of God is flawless;

    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Do not add to his words,

    or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

It is a proverb—or in this case a set of prose that gives us perspective.  Sometimes we are full of ourselves and upset at the way life is going.  Sometimes we don’t have a clue what God is doing, but we are not happy with it.  Sometimes, we want God to bring us in as a universal consultant.

The proverb here notes that we should take a breath and assess the situation.  We have degrees and experience and a sense that we know what to do in most circumstances.  We think that our own understanding is sufficient for navigating this world, but wisdom says, “Just hold on.”

In the grand scheme of things, your wisdom can’t hold a candle to God’s wisdom.

You have never been to heaven.  Now for you old-timers, you might sing, but I’ve been to Oklahoma. Oh they tell me I was born there, but…

You can’t hold the wind in your hands.

You don’t control the waters.

You did not define the ends of the earth.

You don’t know God well enough to be second-guessing him.  If you knew him well, you would embrace his word and never let go of it. You would let him direct your steps and do it with enthusiasm.

Every word of God is flawless;

    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Just do it God’s way.  Here’s one for you.  There is God’s way and there is everything else.

Try this one on for size as well.  Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.

We should make that one of our memory verses.  The proverb is a provocation to this interrogative. 

Who am I to question God’s ways?

This is not us asking who am I?  I am God’s masterpiece. I am designed to bring glory to God and enjoy the relationship with him.

 It asks who am I to question the Artist that made the masterpiece.

Now back to the beginning.

I am weary, God,

    but I can prevail.

This is not a proverb promoting stoicism.

Life has its struggles, challenges, and trials, but I can make it.  Lord, I can handle everything that you say I can handle.  I will not say, “That’s just too much, Lord.  I’m throwing in the towel on this faith thing.  I can handle what this world throws at me because you are my refuge.”

One last note.  Don’t add to God’s words.  That doesn’t mean don’t use examples to explain them or use tools to help understand them.

Consider the counsel in this way.

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart with the following exceptions…

Love one another except for the really hard cases.  God will forgive you for murder once or twice if they really had it coming to them.

Be known by your love except when you just really need to put someone down.

Have no other gods beside me, football teams and celebrities excluded.

Seek God and his kingdom and his righteousness first unless it interferes with your work. 

Love one another as much as you can get away with without being labeled a Jesus freak.

When we add words to God’s word, they often exclude others from our club or exempt ourselves from specific requirements.

Our tendency is to make exceptions to God’s way when it keeps us in our comfort zones.  I have searched and researched this and I can’t find the verse that says, “Blessed is he who does not venture out of his comfort zone.”

God is constantly calling us out of our comfort zones into his way.  It’s called growing in grace.  If we must live in a comfort zone, it should be one label GROWTH.

Let’s just stick to God’s way without our personal modifications. Use the full biblical witness, but stick to God’s way.

How do we wrap this up with something to chew on?

Every word of God is flawless;

    he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

Amen.