Fourth Day of Lent
Posted on March 5, 2022 by under
Scripture: Proverbs 25:8-22 (NKJV)
25:8 Do not go hastily to court; For what will you do in the end, when your neighbor has put you to shame?
9 Debate your case with your neighbor, and do not disclose the secret to another;
10 Lest he who hears it expose your shame, and your reputation be ruined.
11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.
13 Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.
14 Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain.
15 By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.
16 Have you found honey? Eat only as much as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house, lest he become weary of you and hate you.
18 A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.
19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
20 Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, and like vinegar on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22 For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
Devotion
“Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.” This quote from today’s reading beautifully depicts how God deals with you. Through God’s Law the Holy Spirit functions as the “wise rebuker.” As painful as it is for your sinful flesh to hear God accuse you of sin, the same Holy Spirit works within you to give you “an obedient ear” to heed His call to repentance.
This is the God who feeds His enemies and gives them water to drink. He patiently waits with the desire for them to turn to Him for forgiveness. But as Scripture tells us, many are hard of heart and refuse God’s gracious invitation to turn from their sinful lives. They will spend eternity knowing that it was God who gave them food and drink while living on earth. They will also spend eternity knowing they had turned their backs on Him.
The Church for centuries has drawn our attention to our need for repentance. Every day during this season of Lent you are moving closer and closer to Good Friday, where you see what God has done for you through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. There God’s Law meets His Gospel; the perfect life of Christ given in perfect sacrifice for you.
Prayer: Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with the 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.
