Saturday after Septuagesima Sunday
Posted on February 3, 2024 by under
Scripture: Proverbs 14:21-31 (NKJV)
14:21 He who despises his neighbor sins; But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.
23 In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty.
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, but the foolishness of fools is folly.
25 A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies.
26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.
28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor, but in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.
29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, but he who is impulsive exalts folly.
30 A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
31 He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
Devotion
Solomon says in Proverbs, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence.” This sounds like a paradox. Fear does not usually promote confidence. Fear causes mankind to shy away, to back down, to go the other way. How then can there be confidence in fear? But it is not just any kind of fear, but “fear of the Lord.” Fear of the Lord produces confidence because of the fruits that come from that fear. Through fear of the Lord we have a place of refuge. Through fear of the Lord we have a fountain of life. Through fear of the Lord we have release from the snares of death.
All these things are given us through our Lord Jesus. He is our Refuge and Strength. He is our Fountain of Life. He is the One who released us from the snares of death by His own suffering and death. Through His innocent suffering and death He has opened for us the gates of Heaven. He has bestowed life and salvation upon us through the payment of our sins by His shed blood. Knowing we have such a loving and gracious Lord, we no longer fear sin, death, nor the devil. We no longer fear our enemies. Fear of the Lord produces confidence that our Lord and Savior has defeated our enemies once and for all, and He will take us to live with Him in heaven for all eternity.
Collect: O Lord, we beseech Thee favorably to hear the prayers of Thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Thy goodness, for the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
