Thursday, May 7, 2009

Reflections From the Proverbs: A Pretty Good Offer

A pretty good offer

Proverbs Chapter Three:
16. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

Speaking of wisdom, this verse says long life is in her right hand and riches and honor are in her left hand. Two very good reasons to find wisdom.
Eve went on a search for wisdom in Genesis 3:6 it says: When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. NIV

This wisdom she went after certainly didn’t bring long life. In fact it brought death. God did an interesting thing after Adam and Eve became diseased with sin. In verse 23 it tells us : So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
It would have been a disastrous thing to have bodies that would age and decay and become diseased and suffer and go on that way for all eternity. Something would have to happen before man could eat from the tree of life. The disease of sin would have to be cleansed away.

In the book of Revelation Chapter 22 verse 14 we find the words of Jesus: Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
It amazes me that something mentioned in the first words in Genesis are brought full circle in the last words in the book of Revelation.

Jesus Christ, the messiah, the redeemer, is the one who takes us from the deadness that our sin produces to the tree of life. We will be holy because all sin is gone. Eternal life will not be perpetual decay but perpetual worship.

The other promise given in our verse is that from the left hand of wisdom is riches and honor. Talk about riches and honor, it doesn’t get any better than this. Adoption by the King of kings. Even before Eve foolishly disobeyed , God had a plan to bring us back. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 4 says: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. It was always meant to be our destiny to be children of God. We have a very wealthy Daddy.

Eve had a choice, we have a choice. We have a choice to accept the gift offered to us. Jesus is wisdom. Jesus the Messiah, the redeemer,paid for our redemption when he died on the cross. Will you be included? He says: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

Jesus is the path to wisdom, the path to life, and the path to riches and honor.
Dear Father, I am amazed that your desire was so strong to make me your child, I recognize that it cost you a lot for my redemption. I am grateful that you have made this offer. I want to be your child.

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