Proverbs Review. Building a wall stone upon stone.
When we started our study in Proverbs at the Church Breakfast, our topic was a journey to maturity. Solomon was training and preparing his son to be king. In the first 9 chapters, we saw the child grow from his early years to our present study where he is now an adult in the final preparations for his role as an adult and king.
As we have seen in our study, there are many obstacles one must be aware of that are able to derail the process. These can be intentional or unintentional. But behind them all, I see a spiritual battle being waged by Satan against the godly much as we see in the book of Job, chapters 1&2. There are many other forms of wisdom coming from the influence of Satan on the people who are enticed by the freedom, fun, pleasure, and prosperity that he not only offers the world but uses as a trap to enslave and destroy, especially the people of God.
As I think of this I can't help but think of the temple and the wall built around Jerusalem. The temple is the soul and spiritual life of man. It is where God meets with man and man with God and in the case of our study, the early years of a child. The same is true for new believers as Peter makes clear in 1&2 Peter. But as the child grows he has more and more exposure to the world and Solomon in doing everything he can to develop a strong core in his young man so he will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil and against the rulers, against the powers, against the spiritual forces against world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6.10-12. We are especially warned in 1Peter 5:8 that we are in a spiritual battle.
It is clear from Ephesians 6 and Solomon's teaching in Proverbs that a strong defence built to stand strong is essential. And that is what Solomon has been doing. He is building a wall around the heart of his son very similar to the wall that was built in Jerusalem to keep the enemy out. Like the wall built with stone placed upon stone Solomon in building with principles, examples, illustrations etc. One block of wisdom, understanding and knowledge built upon another , making for a strong defence. Of course we can't totally avoid the forces that come against us and many of them will come with deceptions, temptations that will appeal to our nature. There are also neutral things that we need in life, and so our wall needs gates to help regulate what we take in and let out. In Jerusalem the gates were known for the type of business that took place there. Thus at the sheep gate sheep were bought and sold there. The same was true for the fish gate and so on. But the gates were also places where elders and wisdom could be found that were essential to the spiritual functioning of the city and society in their day-to-day living. We can't escape the world. Presently, this is where we live. So we are in the world but we are not to be of the world. Rather we are a lighthouse to the world and our light is our testimony.
It is important that we keep our temple and walls strong and in good repair. Our spiritual enemy has already destroyed two temples and two walls, and he is working hard at preventing a third temple from being built. A close look at the previous ones should reveal that their cores were weak and compromised. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That temple is Satan's present target. We must keep our core strong and most importantly, pay close attention to what we allow to come through our gates.
Ezra was allowed to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple after the fall of Babylon. Later, Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall and the gates. Both men encountered opposition that nearly stopped the work but they kept the faith and persevered even when the opposition came from enemy forces and from within their own people.
We must keep the faith and persevere. We must keep our core strong and keep our eyes on the Lord, being guided by Him and not deceived by the evil one.
God loves His children no matter what. The proof of that is found in the words of Jeremiah as he is standing in a pile of rubble that was once the Temple, the city, and the wall. Even when all hope seemed lost, Jeremiah could write Lamentations 3:19-38