A Life God Rewards
When confronted with God’s words of truth, we can have only two responses: hatred and rejection or love and acceptance. It is extraordinary to see how this plays itself out in the lives of two of the last five kings of Judah.
When King Josiah heard the word of the Law, he tore his robes, even his heart, and cried mightily to the Lord, for he was filled with great fear of God and desired to obey and please Him.
When King Jehoiakim heard the words of God as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, he tore the scroll to pieces and burned it in the fire. His heart was rebellious, and he was determined not to obey. Soon Solomon’s temple would be destroyed, and the Jews exiled to Babylon.
The book of Proverbs is filled with warnings about evil and encourages us to seek wisdom. In Proverbs 13: 1 – 14, we find several red flags:
o Don’t ignore instruction and rebuke (v1)
o Guard your mouth (v3)
o Beware of the pursuit of riches(v7)
o Avoid dishonesty (v11)
o Don’t disrespect God’s Word (v13)
We have already meditated on two of these warnings earlier this week, but as God’s warnings are to protect and not punish us, I would like us to linger a while at verse 13: Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.
The Hebrew word for reward is salam or Shalam and means to be safe or uninjured in both body and mind. It includes the idea of wholeness, meaning being sound or healthy. For this reason, the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament) translates this phrase using the Greed word for hygiene! Paul uses a similar word in 2 Timothy 4:3 to describe sound doctrine, which is health-giving, warning Timothy that the time will come when people do not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
It is essential to remember that using the English word reward in Proverbs 13:13, as in our soul being safe, whole and healthy, does not only point towards a future prize but includes recognition in this life. Again, we can turn to Paul, but this time we read from his first letter to Timothy, where he reminds him in chapter 4:8 that physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
GRACE CHALLENGE FOR THIS WEEK: In Psalm 19, King David reminds us that the law of the LORD is perfect, the statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, the precepts of the LORD are right, the commands of the LORD are radiant, the fear of the LORD is pure, and the decrees of the LORD are firm…. By them, your servant is warned; in keeping them, there is great reward. As someone has said regarding holy living: the pay isn’t much, but the retirement benefits are out of this world! Praise the Lord! May you have a wonderful week rich in rewards because of your tender and obedient hearts!
