Proverbs 13:13-14 

¹³Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. ¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.

Road Test

When you took the Canada Driver’s Road Test, did you pass at first try? Do you know of long-time drivers in their country of origin who took the Driver’s Road Test in Canada and passed at their first try? They’re expert drivers in their country of origin but failed Canada Driver’s Road Test at first try. Why is that?

Interestingly, novice drivers may pass Driver’s Road Test in Canada at first try. Why do novice drivers could pass Canadian Driver’s Road Test at first try? And why do long-time drivers in their country of origin failed their Driver’s Road Test in Canada at first try? Is it because expert drivers ignore instructions?

When I took the Driver’s Road Test in Canada at first try, the examiner told me, “Turn Left.” Then, I signaled to turn right. So, the examiner repeated, “Turn Left.” You can easily guess that I did not pass at first try the Driver’s Road Test in Canada. As I reflect on what I did that day, mixed excitement and nervousness has controlled me. At first, I didn’t consciously listen to the examiner’s instruction.

However, passing the Driver’s Road Test at first try cannot guarantee that they will be spared from violation or road accident. Many drivers who passed the Driver’s Road Test at first try shared their stories of traffic violation or accidents. For 13 years of driving in Canada, I already had two traffic violations, so far.

Personally, how do you interpret what it declares in Deuteronomy 28:2-3?

²All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: ³You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

It favors us to follow traffic rules and regulations, right? Likewise, it favors us to obey the Lord. The Israelites who got out of the Egyptian slavery disobeyed the instruction of God, why? Were they tired of listening to instructions? They did what they thought as best decision for them, and what happened? The Lord did not allow them to enter the Promised Land; they died in the wilderness.

In contrast, their children attentively listened to God and carefully obeyed his instructions; they entered the Promised Land and enjoyed fullness of life.

Contrasting behavior of two generations of Israelites was recorded as lessons for us and all Christians to learn from. The Lord instructs his children to obey him carefully. Truly, we can practically prove that blessings come with godly commands. When we faithfully obey the Lord, he blesses us. Can you agree?

Listen attentively; prayerfully ask the Lord for help and obey him carefully.

Wicked individuals mock and scorn our faith in God as they wish. They mock and scorn godly instructions because they don’t believe that they’ll be eternally sorry.

1.  Scorn

¹³Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded.

It won’t change it if they believe it or not; this proverb is real practically and spiritually. Spiritually, wicked people scorn godly instructions. Christians are also tempted by wickedness and accidentally disregard the Lord. Intentional or not, to scorn, resist or disregard the Lord, certainly misses opportunities for blessings.

Even if we are prayerful and sincere, if we don’t follow God’s instruction, we still miss his blessing. Instructions are given to determine qualified recipients. Many students failed their exam, why? They don’t carefully listen to instruction.

Entrance Exam

During the entrance examination, the examiner announced: “You are given five minutes for each unit exam. When I say begin, answer questions within five minutes. When I say stop; put down your pen, you stop and put your pen down at once. If you are caught writing or just holding your pen after I say stop, put down your pen, you will be disqualified and sent out. Is it clear?” “Clear!” they shouted.

The examiner announced, “Begin!” After five minutes, he shouted “Stop! Put down your pen!” Alert examinees stopped writing; they put their pen down. Stubborn examinees continued writing. Watchers took their exam papers and sent them out of the building those who were writing and still holding their pen.

Instructions are given to filter who want and don’t want to obey. How do you interpret Romans 4:15? ¹⁵Where there is no law there is no transgression.

The law of God is divine prescription for healthy spiritual life. Defiance to the prescription of God causes self indulgent harm to the disobedient. Alcoholism can destroy health. Health experts advice; “Drink wine moderately,” but stubborn drinkers drink more alcohol than they could handle, and they get drunk.

Likewise, defiance to godly prescription can destroy our spiritual health.

Together, let us seriously reflect on what it advised in Ephesians 5:17-20;

¹⁷Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Many drunkards love to sing, and they are very loud and disturb others. In comparison, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we sing praises to God and not concerned if we have great voice or just ordinary voice. Have you had such experience when you unmindfully sing praise to God and surprised yourselves?

Being filled of the Holy Spirit assures us that we enter heaven when Christ Jesus returns. Pray for love ones that they may also escape the snare of hell.

2.  Snare

¹⁴The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.

Teaching of the wise pertains to inspired teaching of wise King Solomon. The wisdom of King Solomon showed that he was filled with the Spirit of wisdom. His teaching came from the Lord and not just from human reason or logic.

If we carefully pay attention and reflect on his instruction in the Book of Proverbs, we find out that the Lord who gave wisdom to King Solomon is the same Christ our Lord, the Living water that refreshes our weary soul.

Reflect on what Christ our Lord declares in John 7:37-39, ³⁷On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Jesus did not secretly whisper to his disciples that the Holy Spirit is the Living Water. Obviously, Christ wanted everyone to know such reality when in a loud voice, he invited anyone to come to him and drink the living water. So, how could we relate that to the teaching of the wise as a fountain of life?

Christ who was born in human flesh Jesus is the same Lord who gave the teaching of the wise King Solomon. The Holy Spirit of Christ in us inspires us to accept that it is wise to abide by his godly commands. It may inspire others to believe in Christ if we live and behave according to the word of the Lord.

Flood

Recently, typhoon visited the Philippines and flood affected many regions.

There was a circulated online video of fun loving Filipinos using inflated tube tire as floating device; they floated with the flow of water that flooded street. That is creative way of having fun despite tragic disaster. Anyway, do you prefer to live in a flooded street so that you can have fun floating with inflated tube tire?

Flooded street offers partial fun like floating but overall, it is disastrous life. How do we interpret what Jesus declared in John 11:25? ²⁵I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.

The phrase, “Even though they die,” implies not just life after death but also practical life before death. Many people live in flood prone region because they have no idea how to migrate or immigrate to better places. They can still have little fun floating in flooded streets, though. Still others do not want to leave their flooded street because they cannot imagine better life somewhere else.

Similarly, many cannot leave their old life. Why? Maybe, they just enjoy the little fun they have in their terrible old lifestyle. Many people prefer temporal fun in their worldly lifestyle because they have no idea how wonderful life is in Christ.

Christ declares we can have life in its fullness now, even after death. His wise teaching is the fountain of life. We absorb and abide to have fullness of life. Christ invites anyone to come to him, not just to find rest in him but also have fun.

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