Day 189, or July 8. God's Word is vital. Our thoughts today come from Proverbs 29 verse
18. Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint, but blessed is the one who
heeds wisdom's instruction.
And now the big picture surrounding this verse. The final chapters of Proverbs contain some
of Solomon's wisdom as well as Proverbs by other wise men. They include advice for
leaders and some thought-provoking comments about wise women. These last chapters include
one of the most popular texts to adorn many wayside pulpits up and down the country. It
is usually associated with solidarity and reaching out, but its true meaning is quite
different.
And now our action step for today. Our proverb for today is better known in an older translation
of the Bible, which reads, Where there is no vision, the people perish. It has often
been used to muster congregations of believers around a vision for the future, which must
be followed otherwise people perish and go to a lost eternity. There is nothing wrong
with the sentiment, but this verse is not the best one to use. The basis of the proverb
goes right back to Moses and his brother Aaron and the worshipping of the golden calf. When
the Israelites turned to the golden calf, they turned away from God, they cast off restraint
and ran riot. They had no moral or ethical compass. Sounds very similar to the twenty-first
century in the UK to me.
A common response from wrongdoers today is, You can't tell me what to do and who gives
you the right to correct me anyway? Many believe that all opinions are of equal value and therefore
the most forceful wins. The Bible teaches that we are only happy or blessed when we
obey God's instruction, which is to be found in the Bible. Looking around it seems to me
that we have tried total freedom to do whatever we like and it's failing abysmally. Now is
the time to get back to the Bible, not just as churches but as individuals. It is a personal
response starting with you and me today.