September 30, 2008

Today's Reading - Proverbs 30
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Following Scripture Verses

1. The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, even the prophecy: the man spake unto Ithiel, even unto Ithiel and Ucal,
2. Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
3. I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
4. Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
5. Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
6. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
7. Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:
8. Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9. Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
10. Accuse not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty.
11. There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.
12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness.
13. There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
14. There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
15. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough:
16. The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.
17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
18. There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not:
19. The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.
20. Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
21. For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear:
22. For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;
23. For an odious woman when she is married; and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress.
24. There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise:
25. The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
26. The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
27. The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
28. The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.
29. There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going:
30. A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any;
31. A greyhound; an he goat also; and a king, against whom there is no rising up.
32. If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.
33. Surely the churning of milk bringeth forth butter, and the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood: so the forcing of wrath bringeth forth strife.

Today's Pathway:
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"The eye that mocketh at [his] father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it." - Proverbs 30:17

This is a verse of Scripture that every young person ought to learn. The Bible teaches here that there is a price to pay for mocking and disobeying one's parents.

We live in a generation where young people no longer have respect for the parents that God has given them. Certainly rebellion against parental authority is rampant. You don't have to spend much time in public before you hear a child, often quite young, tell his or her mother "No!" I have seen children kick and scream, and in some cases even hit their parents. If these children don't learn how to behave, and particularly learn how to respond to the leadership of their parents, they will have constant problems with every authority figure that they ever encounter in life, and they will pay a high price for their actions.

Not only are many children disobedient, but they also mock their parents. Sometimes this mockery takes place behind the parent's back: sticking out the tongue or rolling the eyes. Sometimes it takes place at someone else's home when Junior ridicules his parents in front of his friends. Today it even seems that children are willing to mock their parents right in front of them. You have probably heard a child make fun of his mom and dad: laughing at them or calling them names. While the parents are certainly to blame for not raising their child properly, the child himself will someday suffer the consequences for this behavior.

In closing, notice the severity of the punishment. The picture given to us is quite graphic, and somewhat sickening. Yet this is what God uses to show how seriously He views the sins of rebellion and mockery of parents. The world may tolerate this type of behavior, but the Lord does not, and judgment will fall on all those who refuse to heed His commands.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery