WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.080 I will read first from Proverbs chapter 20, verse 24, going to chapter 21, verse 2. 00:00:13.200 --> 00:00:16.080 A man's steps are from the Lord. 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:18.960 How then can man understand his way? 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:25.480 It is a snare to say rashly it is holy and to reflect only after making vows. 00:00:25.480 --> 00:00:30.359 A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them. 00:00:31.100 --> 00:00:35.640 The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts. 00:00:37.060 --> 00:00:45.679 Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love his throne is upheld. 00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:51.380 The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair. 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:57.100 Blows that wound cleanses away evil. Strokes may clean the innermost parts. 00:00:58.120 --> 00:01:00.880 The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. 00:01:01.140 --> 00:01:02.700 He turns it wherever he will. 00:01:03.440 --> 00:01:07.879 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:10.659 This is God's holy and authoritative word. 00:01:11.359 --> 00:01:12.159 Let me pray. 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:16.620 Heavenly Father, we depend on you this morning to address us from your word. 00:01:17.820 --> 00:01:19.960 Speak to us. You are our king. 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:20.959 Lord, we pray. 00:01:24.339 --> 00:01:28.379 Call us to submit to you. 00:01:29.839 --> 00:01:30.899 Transform us. 00:01:31.219 --> 00:01:32.079 Grant us humility. 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:39.919 So that we might be a people who rely on the finished work of Jesus Christ for our justification. 00:01:40.639 --> 00:01:41.259 Our righteousness. 00:01:42.199 --> 00:01:44.000 That we might put all our hope there. 00:01:44.939 --> 00:01:46.699 That we might put all our faith in Jesus. 00:01:46.700 --> 00:01:51.799 And leave this place renewed in the joy of salvation. 00:01:52.780 --> 00:01:54.060 In the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:56.260 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:01:56.879 --> 00:01:57.180 Amen. 00:02:00.520 --> 00:02:05.040 The previous passage began and ended with an identical proverb. 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:08.860 That unequal weights are an abomination to the Lord. 00:02:09.060 --> 00:02:11.379 And false scales are not good. 00:02:12.760 --> 00:02:18.980 It teaches us that justice is not some arbitrary standard that man made up. 00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:20.900 Or a mere agreement. 00:02:21.420 --> 00:02:22.480 A social contract. 00:02:23.020 --> 00:02:26.700 But something that God himself created and upholds. 00:02:26.699 --> 00:02:35.060 And as the law giver, God is the only one who holds the ultimate authority to judge us. 00:02:36.099 --> 00:02:37.619 That's what this passage is about. 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.579 We human beings are very good at giving ourselves the benefit of the doubt. 00:02:42.039 --> 00:02:45.239 We tend to cast ourselves in the best possible light. 00:02:45.240 --> 00:02:48.700 We often justify our own thoughts and behaviors. 00:02:49.460 --> 00:02:53.000 But this passage teaches us that instead of justifying ourselves, 00:02:53.439 --> 00:02:57.879 we should seek the justification of the God who searches our innermost being. 00:02:59.560 --> 00:03:03.240 Now this passage is structured concentrically or symmetrically. 00:03:03.900 --> 00:03:06.900 So if you look with me at 2024 to 21.2. 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:12.460 So first, verse 24 and 25 of chapter 20 contrasts the man and the Lord, 00:03:13.180 --> 00:03:16.500 emphasizing the sovereignty and knowledge of the Lord over man. 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:22.420 And those verses are matched by chapter 21, verse 2 at the end of this unit, 00:03:22.700 --> 00:03:24.939 which also contrasts the man and the Lord, 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.259 emphasizing the sovereignty and knowledge of the Lord over man. 00:03:28.900 --> 00:03:33.460 And then chapter 20, verse 26 compares the king who rids his kingdom of the wicked 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:36.040 to a farmer who winnows and threshes the grain. 00:03:36.039 --> 00:03:39.120 And this is matched by chapter 21, verse 1, 00:03:39.219 --> 00:03:42.199 which also uses an agricultural metaphor of irrigation 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:47.340 and says that the Lord directs the king's heart like a stream of water in his hand. 00:03:48.299 --> 00:03:53.539 Chapter 20, verse 27 speaks of how the Lord searches the innermost parts of man. 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:57.379 And chapter 20, verse 30 speaks of corporal punishment, 00:03:57.560 --> 00:04:00.699 which cleanses the innermost parts of man. 00:04:01.399 --> 00:04:03.639 And finally, in the middle, meeting in the middle, 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:07.619 verse 28 and 29 speak of the pillars of a strong kingdom. 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:09.159 What makes a strong kingdom? 00:04:09.959 --> 00:04:14.019 It requires a king who is characterized by steadfast love and faithfulness, 00:04:14.519 --> 00:04:16.339 young men in their youthful strength, 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:18.839 and old men in their gray hair of wisdom. 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.259 So the king, youth, and the aged. 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:25.919 And so reflecting this structure that's here, 00:04:26.099 --> 00:04:29.399 I'm going to speak on those matching verses as we go through this passage. 00:04:29.399 --> 00:04:31.959 So first, let's start in verse 24. 00:04:32.859 --> 00:04:36.439 It begins by telling us why, instead of justifying ourselves, 00:04:36.560 --> 00:04:40.319 we should seek the justification of the God who searches our innermost being. 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:41.359 It says, 00:04:41.459 --> 00:04:43.299 A man's steps are from the Lord. 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:46.199 How then can man understand his way? 00:04:47.099 --> 00:04:50.419 It's very similar to a proverb we saw earlier in chapter 16, verse 9. 00:04:51.139 --> 00:04:51.500 It said, 00:04:51.500 --> 00:05:07.519 Jeremiah 10.23 says similarly, 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:11.180 I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself, 00:05:11.419 --> 00:05:15.319 that it is not in man who walks to direct his steps. 00:05:15.939 --> 00:05:20.500 The steps we take, the ways we walk, are not in ourselves, 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:23.019 but in the God who directs us. 00:05:23.819 --> 00:05:27.599 So this notion that we are masters of our own faith 00:05:27.599 --> 00:05:29.359 is nothing but an illusion. 00:05:30.319 --> 00:05:32.560 It's kind of like being a backseat driver. 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.939 I'm sure you've all driven with one in the car. 00:05:35.939 --> 00:05:43.279 A backseat driver is a passenger that gives the driver many unwanted advice. 00:05:44.579 --> 00:05:48.319 And even though he is himself not responsible for the driving 00:05:48.319 --> 00:05:50.740 and has no control over it whatsoever. 00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.360 So this backseat driver might even move his foot 00:05:54.360 --> 00:05:55.879 like he's pushing down on the brakes. 00:05:56.779 --> 00:05:58.699 He might even, you know, he might yell, 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:00.920 Stop, stop, stop, slow down, slow down. 00:06:01.139 --> 00:06:03.540 He has many ideas of how the car should be driven. 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:06.480 But in the end, he is not the driver. 00:06:08.379 --> 00:06:10.420 Please don't take this analogy the wrong way. 00:06:10.500 --> 00:06:14.220 I don't mean to diminish the real responsibility that human beings have. 00:06:14.819 --> 00:06:16.960 But I'm trying to illustrate the fact that 00:06:16.960 --> 00:06:22.640 we are not the ultimate deciders of what happens in our lives. 00:06:23.620 --> 00:06:25.960 Human responsibility is real, yes, 00:06:26.060 --> 00:06:28.780 but it is subordinate to God's sovereignty. 00:06:29.680 --> 00:06:31.280 God is on the driver's seat. 00:06:31.279 --> 00:06:34.339 He is the conductor who directs our steps. 00:06:35.159 --> 00:06:36.739 And for this reason, it says, 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:39.079 Man cannot understand his way. 00:06:40.219 --> 00:06:42.779 Drivers nowadays, and I include myself in this, 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:45.979 are more clueless about roads and directions. 00:06:46.979 --> 00:06:48.939 And I think part of the reason for that is because 00:06:48.939 --> 00:06:52.419 we're so used to following the step-by-step orders of our GPS 00:06:52.419 --> 00:06:55.879 without paying actual attention to our surroundings 00:06:55.879 --> 00:06:57.239 and to the roads that we are on. 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.840 If someone else determines your steps, 00:07:01.680 --> 00:07:03.879 you're not going to fully grasp which way you're going. 00:07:04.900 --> 00:07:06.639 That's essentially what Solomon is saying here. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:10.120 No human being fully understands his way of life, 00:07:10.500 --> 00:07:11.360 his destiny. 00:07:12.180 --> 00:07:13.220 Yes, we make choices, 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:17.259 but we don't even fully understand our own reasons for those choices. 00:07:17.780 --> 00:07:20.340 We cannot predict what will happen to us tomorrow, 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:21.939 let alone a year from now. 00:07:21.939 --> 00:07:25.439 And the admission of this ignorance fosters humility. 00:07:26.660 --> 00:07:29.800 A humble person admits that we are not ultimately responsible 00:07:29.800 --> 00:07:31.839 for all our wins in life, 00:07:32.500 --> 00:07:35.439 and it is instead full of thanksgiving toward God. 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:41.500 A humble person admits that we are not in control of our ultimate destiny, 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:45.720 and because of that, ironically, is able to rest 00:07:45.720 --> 00:07:51.800 instead of always being full of fear, worry, and frenetic energy. 00:07:55.180 --> 00:07:58.560 And since the future is not in our hands, but in God's, 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:02.640 we should not rashly make vows to God that we might not fulfill. 00:08:03.120 --> 00:08:04.080 Verse 25 says, 00:08:04.160 --> 00:08:06.820 It is a snare to say rashly it is holy, 00:08:07.180 --> 00:08:09.540 and to reflect only after making vows. 00:08:09.540 --> 00:08:12.540 What's in view here is a vow of dedication, 00:08:13.060 --> 00:08:16.660 declaring that someone or something is holy to God, 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:19.240 meaning consecrated or set apart for God. 00:08:20.080 --> 00:08:23.200 A tragic example of this found in Judges chapter 11, 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:26.680 where Jephthah makes a vow to the Lord, saying, 00:08:27.100 --> 00:08:29.939 If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.600 then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:35.860 when I return in peace from the Ammonites 00:08:35.860 --> 00:08:37.300 shall be the Lord's. 00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:39.919 And I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 00:08:41.240 --> 00:08:41.839 And of course, 00:08:42.539 --> 00:08:44.379 who should come out from his house to meet him 00:08:44.379 --> 00:08:45.799 but his only child, 00:08:46.459 --> 00:08:47.519 an unmarried daughter? 00:08:49.219 --> 00:08:51.079 Jephthah was wrong on several counts. 00:08:51.379 --> 00:08:52.599 First, he shouldn't have thought 00:08:52.599 --> 00:08:55.199 that he could manipulate God into acting on his behalf. 00:08:55.959 --> 00:09:00.799 Second, in dedicating what comes out of his house to meet him, 00:09:01.339 --> 00:09:04.899 Jephthah opened himself up to the pagan Ammonite practice 00:09:04.899 --> 00:09:08.000 of child sacrifice to their false god, Molech, 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:12.039 which is explicitly prohibited in Leviticus 18.21. 00:09:13.179 --> 00:09:16.019 And so he defeats the wicked Ammonites 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:18.299 who sacrificed their children to Molech, 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:21.699 only then to offer his child as a sacrifice 00:09:21.699 --> 00:09:25.579 to the god who does not accept human sacrifice. 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:29.340 And third, and this is the point of connection to our passage, 00:09:29.700 --> 00:09:33.340 Jephthah should never have made such a rash vow in the first place. 00:09:34.500 --> 00:09:38.000 He has no idea what or who would come out of his house. 00:09:38.800 --> 00:09:40.980 A person who makes a rash vow like that 00:09:40.980 --> 00:09:44.680 is like an animal that carelessly runs into a snare, a trap. 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:46.740 It was easy to get into, 00:09:47.060 --> 00:09:48.720 but impossible to get out of. 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.000 Ecclesiastes 5, verses 2-7 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.040 give us a glimpse into the human heart 00:09:54.040 --> 00:09:55.759 that makes such rash vows. 00:09:56.560 --> 00:09:57.279 It says, 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:59.460 Be not rash with your mouth, 00:09:59.560 --> 00:10:02.340 nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. 00:10:02.740 --> 00:10:04.800 For God is in heaven and you are on earth. 00:10:05.700 --> 00:10:07.220 Therefore let your words be few. 00:10:08.160 --> 00:10:10.139 For a dream comes with much business, 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:12.580 and a fool's voice with many words. 00:10:13.060 --> 00:10:14.720 When you vow a vow to God, 00:10:14.820 --> 00:10:16.220 do not delay paying it, 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:17.860 for he has no pleasure in fools. 00:10:17.860 --> 00:10:19.320 Pay what you vow. 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:21.419 It is better that you should not vow, 00:10:21.659 --> 00:10:23.840 then you should vow and not pay. 00:10:24.480 --> 00:10:26.680 Let not your mouth lead you into sin, 00:10:26.860 --> 00:10:29.500 and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:32.139 Why should God be angry at your voice 00:10:32.139 --> 00:10:33.539 and destroy the work of your hands? 00:10:33.960 --> 00:10:36.820 For when dreams increase and words grow many, 00:10:36.919 --> 00:10:38.100 there is vanity. 00:10:38.919 --> 00:10:41.680 But God is the one you must fear. 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:45.340 What does this teach us about rash vows? 00:10:45.340 --> 00:10:49.080 At the heart of rash vows is human vanity 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:52.620 and the absence of the fear of God. 00:10:53.620 --> 00:10:55.720 We make stammering vows, 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:57.560 blustering promises, 00:10:58.320 --> 00:10:59.800 presumptuous forecasts, 00:11:00.300 --> 00:11:01.899 and bloated resolutions. 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:03.080 Why? 00:11:04.040 --> 00:11:05.280 Because we are vain. 00:11:06.300 --> 00:11:07.740 Because we are proud. 00:11:07.740 --> 00:11:12.560 Because we think that we have more control over our own steps 00:11:12.560 --> 00:11:14.000 than we actually do. 00:11:16.860 --> 00:11:19.720 But Proverbs show us a better way. 00:11:19.860 --> 00:11:20.360 Humility. 00:11:21.060 --> 00:11:22.159 The fear of the Lord. 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:25.500 Living in reverent submission to God and His ways. 00:11:26.060 --> 00:11:29.080 Which makes us more careful to speak. 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:33.259 In the Hebrew, verse 25 literally says, 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:37.460 It is a snare of man to say rashly it is holy. 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:39.080 So then the word, 00:11:39.560 --> 00:11:44.360 a word for man is repeated three times in verses 24 and 25. 00:11:44.920 --> 00:11:46.860 A man's steps are from the Lord. 00:11:47.020 --> 00:11:49.100 How then can man understand his way? 00:11:49.360 --> 00:11:52.200 It is a snare of man to say rashly it is holy 00:11:52.200 --> 00:11:54.660 and to reflect only after making vows. 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:58.919 This repetition intentionally emphasized the contrast 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:00.500 between man and the Lord. 00:12:01.139 --> 00:12:03.379 It's intended to put us in our place. 00:12:03.980 --> 00:12:06.000 Remember, you're just a man. 00:12:07.079 --> 00:12:07.679 A creature. 00:12:08.480 --> 00:12:10.219 Know that the Lord is God. 00:12:10.740 --> 00:12:11.379 Your creator. 00:12:12.779 --> 00:12:15.779 And these verses are matched by chapter 21, verse 2, 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:16.179 which says, 00:12:16.179 --> 00:12:18.639 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, 00:12:18.740 --> 00:12:20.579 but the Lord weighs the heart. 00:12:21.159 --> 00:12:23.699 This is reminiscent of chapter 16, verse 2, 00:12:23.779 --> 00:12:24.120 which said, 00:12:24.120 --> 00:12:26.580 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, 00:12:26.679 --> 00:12:28.960 but the Lord weighs the spirit. 00:12:29.899 --> 00:12:32.840 We think that we are justified in all that we do, 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.139 because if we didn't think so, we wouldn't do it. 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:38.440 We think that we are right in all that we believe, 00:12:38.539 --> 00:12:41.080 because if we didn't think so, we wouldn't believe it. 00:12:41.560 --> 00:12:44.539 But we do not see everything rightly, 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:46.860 because our knowledge is partial. 00:12:47.460 --> 00:12:50.039 We do not understand our own way. 00:12:51.019 --> 00:12:53.580 The Lord, on the other hand, weighs the heart. 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:55.759 Not the physical organ, 00:12:55.899 --> 00:12:58.320 but the invisible, immaterial inner person. 00:12:58.960 --> 00:13:02.100 Even this invisible, weightless center of our motives 00:13:02.100 --> 00:13:03.779 is weighed by the Lord. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:07.060 This is why, instead of justifying ourselves, 00:13:07.460 --> 00:13:09.919 we should seek the justification of the God 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:11.399 who searches our innermost being. 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:17.579 Judging is God's unique prerogative. 00:13:18.279 --> 00:13:19.139 The ultimate judging. 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:22.039 A human being is incapable of judging him or herself rightly. 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:25.439 And that's why 1 Corinthians 4, verse 4, 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:26.959 Paul says this of himself, 00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:30.379 I am not aware of anything against myself, 00:13:30.879 --> 00:13:32.920 but I am not thereby acquitted. 00:13:33.480 --> 00:13:35.220 It is the Lord who judges me. 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:37.639 Even though his conscience was clear, 00:13:37.780 --> 00:13:39.580 even though he was not aware of any sin, 00:13:40.019 --> 00:13:42.160 any offense that he had himself caused, 00:13:42.420 --> 00:13:44.280 he says he is not thereby acquitted, 00:13:44.620 --> 00:13:46.220 because it's the Lord who judges him. 00:13:46.220 --> 00:13:50.600 And the king who rules over people 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:53.139 ought to do so at God's pleasure 00:13:53.139 --> 00:13:54.740 and in accordance with God's will. 00:13:55.399 --> 00:13:56.860 And that's why it says in verse 26, 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:58.980 a wise king winnows the wicked 00:13:58.980 --> 00:14:01.160 and drives the wheel over them. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:03.840 So winnowing is an agricultural practice 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:06.879 of tossing the harvested grain up into the air 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:09.139 in order to let the heavier grain, 00:14:09.259 --> 00:14:10.500 the kernels fall to the ground 00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:12.800 while the chaff and the dirt and the dust 00:14:12.800 --> 00:14:14.240 are blown away by the wind. 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:17.100 Similarly, driving the wheel over them 00:14:17.100 --> 00:14:19.279 is a reference to threshing grain. 00:14:19.700 --> 00:14:21.139 By driving the wheel over the grain, 00:14:21.220 --> 00:14:23.019 it removes the kernel from the plant. 00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:26.500 So both of these references communicate the idea 00:14:26.500 --> 00:14:29.399 of separating out the wicked from the righteous. 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:31.820 This is what the wise king should do. 00:14:32.320 --> 00:14:33.680 The king should separate out those 00:14:33.680 --> 00:14:36.560 who use unequal weights and false scales in business. 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:38.419 The king should separate out those 00:14:38.419 --> 00:14:40.419 who make rash vows, 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:42.000 only to renege on them later. 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:45.019 But it's not enough for the king 00:14:45.019 --> 00:14:46.539 to rid the kingdom of evildoers. 00:14:46.960 --> 00:14:49.340 He must also protect and provide for his citizens. 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:51.419 So chapter 20, verse 26, 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:53.659 is matched by chapter 21, verse 1, 00:14:53.779 --> 00:14:55.279 which also deals with the king 00:14:55.279 --> 00:14:57.740 and mentions another agricultural metaphor. 00:14:59.059 --> 00:15:00.940 The king's heart is a stream of water 00:15:00.940 --> 00:15:01.940 in the hand of the Lord. 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:03.960 He turns it wherever he wills. 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:05.759 This is an irrigation metaphor. 00:15:06.440 --> 00:15:09.080 The king's heart is compared to a stream of water 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:10.400 that enables farming. 00:15:11.700 --> 00:15:14.360 Especially in the dry ancient Near East, 00:15:14.600 --> 00:15:17.160 water was an invaluable source of life. 00:15:17.680 --> 00:15:20.220 And so they built reservoirs to collect rainwater, 00:15:20.580 --> 00:15:22.580 and then they built dams and canals 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:25.639 to direct that water to the fields that needed it. 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:28.940 And just as it is the Lord who weighs the heart 00:15:28.940 --> 00:15:32.020 that enables the king to winnow the wicked, 00:15:32.020 --> 00:15:35.500 it is the Lord who directs the king's heart 00:15:35.500 --> 00:15:38.039 to water and nourish his people. 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.100 It's really an awe-inspiring picture 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:43.220 of God's sovereign control. 00:15:44.100 --> 00:15:45.659 Even the heart of the king, 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:50.080 the most free and sovereign human being in the realm, 00:15:51.360 --> 00:15:53.840 is but a stream of water in the hand of the Lord, 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:57.120 which he turns wherever he wills. 00:15:58.299 --> 00:16:00.919 We see many examples of this throughout Scripture. 00:16:00.919 --> 00:16:05.279 According to Isaiah chapter 10, verse 6 and 7, 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:08.879 Tiglath-Pileser, the third king of Assyria 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:10.019 from the 8th century BC, 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:13.039 who invaded Israel for his own purposes, 00:16:13.779 --> 00:16:16.299 was but an instrument of God's wrath 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:17.379 for the sins of Israel. 00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:21.860 Cyrus the Great, the famed king of Persia 00:16:21.860 --> 00:16:23.360 from the 6th century BC too, 00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:25.519 was God's servant, 00:16:25.699 --> 00:16:27.779 according to Isaiah chapter 45, verse 1. 00:16:28.500 --> 00:16:30.500 It was God who directed Artaxerxes, 00:16:30.500 --> 00:16:32.659 the king of Persia from the 5th century BC, 00:16:33.220 --> 00:16:36.580 to allow the Jewish exile to return to Jerusalem 00:16:36.580 --> 00:16:37.519 and rebuild the temple, 00:16:37.659 --> 00:16:39.799 according to Ezra chapter 7, verse 21. 00:16:41.139 --> 00:16:42.940 How does this apply to us? 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:46.100 If you're anxious or losing sleep 00:16:46.100 --> 00:16:47.980 over the upcoming presidential election, 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:50.980 be reminded of this wonderful truth. 00:16:51.480 --> 00:16:53.980 No matter who wins the election in November, 00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:57.379 even when the king or president who rules over us 00:16:57.379 --> 00:16:59.059 seems capricious and unjust, 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:01.859 even the most unpredictable ruler 00:17:01.859 --> 00:17:05.700 cannot overflow the banks of God's sovereign control. 00:17:06.919 --> 00:17:08.460 He is but a stream of water 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:09.859 in the hand of the Lord 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:11.619 who turns it wherever he will. 00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:14.339 I'm not saying we should be passive, 00:17:14.899 --> 00:17:16.159 we should be informed citizens, 00:17:16.440 --> 00:17:17.440 we should vote, sure, 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:21.619 but always rest assured of God's sovereign rule. 00:17:21.619 --> 00:17:25.239 And since rulers are out to represent God, 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:26.659 they are aided in this task 00:17:26.659 --> 00:17:29.119 of winnowing the wicked and watering the kingdom 00:17:29.119 --> 00:17:31.359 by the Lord who searches all things. 00:17:31.759 --> 00:17:32.959 It says in verse 27, 00:17:32.959 --> 00:17:35.019 the spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:37.579 searching all his innermost parts. 00:17:38.399 --> 00:17:41.899 The spirit of man refers to the inner person 00:17:41.899 --> 00:17:43.719 that is hidden from plain view. 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:47.220 Though not a single person fully understands 00:17:47.220 --> 00:17:49.039 the inner workings of his own heart, 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:51.079 he nevertheless understands it better 00:17:51.079 --> 00:17:52.640 than any other human being. 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:56.059 And even people who are open books 00:17:56.059 --> 00:17:57.519 have their own secrets. 00:17:57.960 --> 00:17:59.319 This is the spirit of man. 00:18:00.600 --> 00:18:03.500 Paul refers to this idea in 2 Corinthians 2, 00:18:03.779 --> 00:18:04.920 where in order to illustrate 00:18:04.920 --> 00:18:06.660 that the Holy Spirit of God 00:18:06.660 --> 00:18:08.019 knows the mind of God 00:18:08.019 --> 00:18:09.519 and reveals the wisdom of God, 00:18:09.860 --> 00:18:11.279 he uses this analogy. 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:14.799 For who knows a person's thoughts 00:18:14.799 --> 00:18:17.420 except the spirit of that person, 00:18:17.759 --> 00:18:18.720 which is in him? 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:22.500 The spirit of man is the inner person 00:18:22.500 --> 00:18:25.259 that searches his or her own heart and mind. 00:18:25.700 --> 00:18:28.960 But this private, secret inner man 00:18:28.960 --> 00:18:31.359 is the lamp of the Lord. 00:18:32.200 --> 00:18:34.639 It functions like a flashlight for God 00:18:34.639 --> 00:18:36.839 to light up the man's innermost parts. 00:18:37.519 --> 00:18:39.039 Once again, there's a contrast 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:40.559 between man and the Lord. 00:18:40.559 --> 00:18:43.519 The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord. 00:18:43.960 --> 00:18:45.960 And this emphasizes the shocking reality 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:47.779 that man's inner workings, 00:18:48.200 --> 00:18:51.779 the deepest, the most inaccessible thoughts 00:18:51.779 --> 00:18:52.440 of his mind, 00:18:52.980 --> 00:18:55.319 the darkest recesses of our hearts, 00:18:55.819 --> 00:18:58.079 they are completely exposed 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:00.039 before the Lord who searches 00:19:00.039 --> 00:19:01.039 our innermost beings. 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:03.379 And for this reason, 00:19:03.460 --> 00:19:04.919 the Lord can aid the king, 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:05.679 his representative, 00:19:05.919 --> 00:19:06.899 in ruling justly, 00:19:07.299 --> 00:19:09.079 should they depend on him. 00:19:09.079 --> 00:19:12.179 Chapter 20, verse 27, 00:19:12.379 --> 00:19:14.819 then is matched by chapter 20, verse 30. 00:19:15.379 --> 00:19:17.980 Blows that wound cleanse away evil. 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:21.139 Strokes make clean the innermost parts. 00:19:21.899 --> 00:19:25.139 Both verses refer to the innermost parts of man. 00:19:25.939 --> 00:19:28.480 Since the Lord searches the innermost parts of man, 00:19:28.539 --> 00:19:30.319 it is the king's duty to cleanse 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:32.159 the innermost parts of evildoers. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.759 And this requires corporal punishment. 00:19:35.300 --> 00:19:38.040 The word cleanse literally means 00:19:38.040 --> 00:19:40.080 to scour or polish something. 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:42.640 So a bodily punishment somehow, 00:19:42.900 --> 00:19:43.880 according to this proverb, 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:46.820 polishes or scrubs off the evil 00:19:46.820 --> 00:19:49.380 from our inner being. 00:19:49.380 --> 00:19:52.860 Various forms of corporal punishment 00:19:52.860 --> 00:19:54.800 have been used throughout the millennia 00:19:54.800 --> 00:19:56.480 throughout human history 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.700 in homes, in schools, 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:00.860 in courts and military bases. 00:20:01.560 --> 00:20:03.340 It was not until the latter half 00:20:03.340 --> 00:20:04.340 of the 20th century 00:20:04.340 --> 00:20:05.300 that corporal punishment 00:20:05.300 --> 00:20:07.380 largely fell out of favor in the West. 00:20:08.060 --> 00:20:10.380 But not every form of corporal punishment, 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:11.720 as it is commonly believed, 00:20:11.820 --> 00:20:14.100 is cruel and unusual punishment. 00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:16.980 And verse 30 tells us 00:20:16.980 --> 00:20:17.899 that there is a connection 00:20:17.899 --> 00:20:20.079 between our bodies and spirits. 00:20:20.859 --> 00:20:22.240 A lagging conscience 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.339 can be spurred on with such punishment. 00:20:25.399 --> 00:20:26.659 If our immediate reaction 00:20:26.659 --> 00:20:28.839 is to think that this is barbaric 00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:30.539 or unenlightened, 00:20:31.179 --> 00:20:32.619 we should consider perhaps 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:34.719 that it's our own chronological snobbery 00:20:34.719 --> 00:20:35.879 that makes us think that way. 00:20:36.839 --> 00:20:38.599 It's the immature teenagers 00:20:38.599 --> 00:20:40.480 who think that their ancient parents 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:41.599 understand nothing. 00:20:42.179 --> 00:20:44.059 As they mature and grow, 00:20:44.099 --> 00:20:45.240 they tend to appreciate 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:46.259 their parents' wisdom 00:20:46.259 --> 00:20:47.319 and experience more. 00:20:48.740 --> 00:20:49.199 Likewise, 00:20:49.439 --> 00:20:51.519 why civilizations learn and glean 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:53.159 from the wisdom of history. 00:20:54.000 --> 00:20:55.059 Consider this example. 00:20:55.480 --> 00:20:56.419 A few years ago, 00:20:56.879 --> 00:20:58.839 American Society for Microbiology 00:20:58.839 --> 00:20:59.759 published a paper 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:00.679 entitled 00:21:00.679 --> 00:21:03.480 A Thousand-Year-Old Antimicrobial Remedy 00:21:03.480 --> 00:21:07.480 with Antistaphylococcal Activity. 00:21:08.279 --> 00:21:09.379 It was written by 00:21:09.379 --> 00:21:11.339 an interdisciplinary team 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:12.219 made up of researchers 00:21:12.219 --> 00:21:13.279 from both the sciences 00:21:13.279 --> 00:21:14.039 and the humanities. 00:21:14.099 --> 00:21:16.480 A medieval scholar on the team 00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:18.839 translated a 10th century, 00:21:19.059 --> 00:21:20.519 so a thousand years old, 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:23.500 a 10th century Anglo-Saxon leech book 00:21:23.500 --> 00:21:25.319 which prescribed 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:27.319 various plant-based remedies 00:21:27.319 --> 00:21:29.159 for treating staph infection. 00:21:29.879 --> 00:21:31.539 They decided to test it 00:21:31.539 --> 00:21:32.459 in the labs 00:21:32.459 --> 00:21:33.379 to see if it works. 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:35.099 They learned that 00:21:35.099 --> 00:21:36.299 not only did this 00:21:36.299 --> 00:21:37.519 outmoded, 00:21:38.419 --> 00:21:39.519 no longer used remedy 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:41.160 repeatedly killed the bacteria, 00:21:41.839 --> 00:21:44.099 it also killed superstaph, 00:21:44.480 --> 00:21:45.619 the staph bacteria 00:21:45.619 --> 00:21:46.900 that had grown resistant 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:48.339 to the modern antibiotic 00:21:48.339 --> 00:21:49.180 methicillin. 00:21:50.180 --> 00:21:50.740 Now, 00:21:50.799 --> 00:21:52.220 I use this as an illustration 00:21:52.220 --> 00:21:53.599 to caution against 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:54.980 uncritically accepting 00:21:54.980 --> 00:21:56.200 the prevailing assumption 00:21:56.200 --> 00:21:58.319 that whatever has gone out of date 00:21:58.319 --> 00:21:59.539 is on that account 00:21:59.539 --> 00:22:01.019 automatically discredited. 00:22:01.019 --> 00:22:03.359 Don't be too quick 00:22:03.359 --> 00:22:04.759 to dismiss certain actions 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:05.900 and positions 00:22:05.900 --> 00:22:07.720 as having no business 00:22:07.720 --> 00:22:08.839 in the 21st century. 00:22:09.940 --> 00:22:11.480 As J.R.R. Tolkien 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:12.779 sagely advises 00:22:12.779 --> 00:22:14.099 through the voice 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:15.460 of character Glorfindel 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:16.599 in The Return of the King, 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:19.099 pay heed to the tales 00:22:19.099 --> 00:22:19.920 of old wives. 00:22:20.759 --> 00:22:21.660 It may well be 00:22:21.660 --> 00:22:22.400 that they alone 00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:23.299 keep in memory 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:25.139 what it was once needful 00:22:25.139 --> 00:22:26.539 for the wise to know. 00:22:26.539 --> 00:22:28.899 Now, 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:29.500 that brings us 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.119 to the center 00:22:30.119 --> 00:22:31.779 of the concentric structure 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:32.519 of this passage. 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:33.879 Chapter 20, 00:22:33.960 --> 00:22:34.460 verse 28, 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:34.879 29, 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:36.379 which speak of the constituencies 00:22:36.379 --> 00:22:37.279 that make up 00:22:37.279 --> 00:22:38.220 a strong kingdom. 00:22:38.859 --> 00:22:39.339 First, 00:22:39.639 --> 00:22:40.379 verse 28, 00:22:40.500 --> 00:22:40.680 says, 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:41.599 Steadfast love 00:22:41.599 --> 00:22:42.339 and faithfulness 00:22:42.339 --> 00:22:43.279 preserve the king 00:22:43.279 --> 00:22:44.839 and by steadfast love 00:22:44.839 --> 00:22:46.379 his throne is upheld. 00:22:47.460 --> 00:22:48.379 Steadfast love 00:22:48.379 --> 00:22:49.259 and faithfulness 00:22:49.259 --> 00:22:50.359 are two of the most 00:22:50.359 --> 00:22:51.399 commonly mentioned 00:22:51.399 --> 00:22:52.399 attributes of God 00:22:52.399 --> 00:22:52.859 in scripture. 00:22:53.879 --> 00:22:55.039 And when describing God, 00:22:55.139 --> 00:22:56.059 they together refer 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:57.839 to God's unchanging love 00:22:57.839 --> 00:22:59.399 and steadfast commitment 00:22:59.399 --> 00:23:00.200 toward his people. 00:23:01.179 --> 00:23:02.200 And these attributes 00:23:02.200 --> 00:23:03.460 should characterize the king, 00:23:03.619 --> 00:23:05.200 whoever rules over people also, 00:23:05.619 --> 00:23:06.460 because the king 00:23:06.460 --> 00:23:07.379 over God's people 00:23:07.379 --> 00:23:08.359 is supposed to be 00:23:08.359 --> 00:23:09.179 God's representative. 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:11.059 And when the king 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:12.220 rules with steadfast love 00:23:12.220 --> 00:23:12.980 and faithfulness, 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:14.240 they in turn, 00:23:14.379 --> 00:23:15.819 those virtues in turn, 00:23:16.119 --> 00:23:17.059 preserve the king 00:23:17.059 --> 00:23:18.339 and uphold his throne. 00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:20.159 Because a populace 00:23:20.159 --> 00:23:21.299 with a benevolent ruler 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:22.539 is loyal and supportive. 00:23:23.240 --> 00:23:24.500 But the throne of the king 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:26.140 who forsakes steadfast love 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:27.099 will not long 00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:27.859 be established. 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:29.700 Second, 00:23:30.099 --> 00:23:30.960 a robust kingdom 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:31.720 requires both 00:23:31.720 --> 00:23:32.680 the vigor of youth 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:33.240 and the wisdom 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:33.940 of the agent. 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:35.440 Verse 29 says, 00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:36.619 The glory of young men 00:23:36.619 --> 00:23:37.460 is their strength, 00:23:37.779 --> 00:23:38.539 but the splendor 00:23:38.539 --> 00:23:39.200 of old men 00:23:39.200 --> 00:23:40.180 is their gray hair. 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:42.079 The young and old 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:42.640 in society 00:23:42.640 --> 00:23:43.720 are meant to complement 00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:44.299 one another. 00:23:44.960 --> 00:23:45.920 The young men 00:23:45.920 --> 00:23:46.859 offer their strength, 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:47.720 which is their glory, 00:23:47.940 --> 00:23:49.039 and the old men 00:23:49.039 --> 00:23:50.039 offer their gray hair, 00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:50.500 which, 00:23:50.700 --> 00:23:51.960 according to Proverbs 16, 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:52.380 31, 00:23:52.819 --> 00:23:54.100 is a crown of glory 00:23:54.100 --> 00:23:55.860 gained in a righteous life, 00:23:56.279 --> 00:23:57.759 a symbol of experience 00:23:57.759 --> 00:23:58.539 and wisdom. 00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:00.120 This applies 00:24:00.120 --> 00:24:01.319 to both men and women, 00:24:01.860 --> 00:24:02.360 though only men 00:24:02.360 --> 00:24:03.019 are mentioned here 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:04.160 in a representative way. 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:05.819 So a strong youth 00:24:05.819 --> 00:24:07.140 and wise elderly 00:24:07.140 --> 00:24:08.360 working harmoniously 00:24:08.360 --> 00:24:08.920 together, 00:24:09.340 --> 00:24:10.740 ruled by a king 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:11.819 characterized by 00:24:11.819 --> 00:24:12.579 steadfast love 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:13.279 and faithfulness. 00:24:13.380 --> 00:24:14.819 That's what's necessary 00:24:14.819 --> 00:24:16.519 for a thriving nation, 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:17.920 a thriving kingdom. 00:24:19.600 --> 00:24:21.360 This focus on kingship 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:22.079 throughout the book 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:22.559 of Proverbs 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:23.779 is not surprising 00:24:23.779 --> 00:24:25.639 because King Solomon 00:24:25.639 --> 00:24:27.019 is its principal author. 00:24:27.839 --> 00:24:28.619 And its teaching 00:24:28.619 --> 00:24:29.459 on the importance 00:24:29.459 --> 00:24:30.559 of a righteous king 00:24:30.559 --> 00:24:31.519 culminates 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:33.359 in the coming 00:24:33.359 --> 00:24:35.039 of the long-anticipated 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:36.179 messianic king, 00:24:36.719 --> 00:24:37.419 Jesus Christ. 00:24:38.459 --> 00:24:39.699 And after telling people 00:24:39.699 --> 00:24:40.419 to pay attention 00:24:40.419 --> 00:24:41.219 to his message, 00:24:41.619 --> 00:24:42.479 Jesus says this 00:24:42.479 --> 00:24:43.079 of himself 00:24:43.079 --> 00:24:44.059 in Luke 11, 00:24:44.179 --> 00:24:45.319 31 to 32. 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:47.240 The queen of the south 00:24:47.240 --> 00:24:48.079 will rise up 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:48.779 at the judgment 00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:49.539 with the men 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:50.339 of this generation 00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:51.339 and condemn them. 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:52.579 For she came 00:24:52.579 --> 00:24:53.259 from the ends 00:24:53.259 --> 00:24:53.720 of the earth 00:24:53.720 --> 00:24:54.879 to hear the wisdom 00:24:54.879 --> 00:24:55.459 of Solomon. 00:24:55.919 --> 00:24:56.699 And behold, 00:24:57.179 --> 00:24:58.500 something greater 00:24:58.500 --> 00:24:59.199 than Solomon 00:24:59.199 --> 00:24:59.879 is here. 00:25:00.959 --> 00:25:02.720 Solomon was the epitome 00:25:02.720 --> 00:25:03.980 of a wise king 00:25:03.980 --> 00:25:04.699 in the Old Testament. 00:25:05.299 --> 00:25:06.339 But Jesus claims 00:25:06.339 --> 00:25:07.279 that he is greater 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:08.019 than Solomon 00:25:08.019 --> 00:25:09.539 because he is 00:25:09.539 --> 00:25:10.939 the wisdom of God 00:25:10.939 --> 00:25:11.819 incarnate 00:25:11.819 --> 00:25:13.139 in the flesh. 00:25:13.399 --> 00:25:14.599 He is the messianic king 00:25:14.599 --> 00:25:15.240 who was promised 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:15.839 long ago, 00:25:16.119 --> 00:25:16.839 who reigns 00:25:16.839 --> 00:25:17.500 over his people. 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:18.700 And though 00:25:18.700 --> 00:25:19.559 all the faithful 00:25:19.559 --> 00:25:20.720 expected Jesus, 00:25:20.940 --> 00:25:21.839 this wise king, 00:25:21.960 --> 00:25:22.940 to winnow the wicked 00:25:22.940 --> 00:25:24.160 and drive the wheel 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:24.799 over them, 00:25:25.319 --> 00:25:26.119 though they expected 00:25:26.119 --> 00:25:27.259 Jesus to cleanse 00:25:27.259 --> 00:25:27.980 away evil 00:25:27.980 --> 00:25:29.380 with blows that wound 00:25:29.380 --> 00:25:30.079 and strokes 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:30.900 that made clean, 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:32.400 though they expected 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:33.619 Jesus to overthrow 00:25:33.619 --> 00:25:34.640 the Roman Empire, 00:25:36.019 --> 00:25:36.960 the oppressors 00:25:36.960 --> 00:25:37.619 of Israel. 00:25:38.319 --> 00:25:38.920 Instead, 00:25:39.640 --> 00:25:40.299 Jesus went 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:40.960 to the cross 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:42.559 and was executed 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:43.319 by the Romans. 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:44.819 And this was 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:45.500 to fulfill 00:25:45.500 --> 00:25:46.119 the prophecy 00:25:46.119 --> 00:25:47.359 of Isaiah 53, 00:25:47.879 --> 00:25:48.639 verses 46. 00:25:49.179 --> 00:25:50.559 Surely he has borne 00:25:50.559 --> 00:25:51.299 our griefs 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:52.559 and carried our sorrows, 00:25:52.879 --> 00:25:53.919 yet we esteemed him 00:25:53.919 --> 00:25:54.439 stricken, 00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:55.679 smitten by God 00:25:55.679 --> 00:25:56.639 and afflicted. 00:25:57.059 --> 00:25:58.399 But he was pierced 00:25:58.399 --> 00:25:59.819 for our transgressions. 00:26:00.200 --> 00:26:00.960 He was crushed 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:02.339 for our iniquities. 00:26:02.879 --> 00:26:03.639 Upon him 00:26:03.639 --> 00:26:04.799 was the chastisement 00:26:04.799 --> 00:26:06.059 that brought us peace, 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:08.500 and with his wounds 00:26:08.500 --> 00:26:10.319 we are healed. 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:12.759 All we like sheep 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:13.700 have gone astray. 00:26:13.859 --> 00:26:14.359 We have turned 00:26:14.359 --> 00:26:15.939 everyone to his own way, 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.460 and the Lord 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:17.559 has laid on him 00:26:17.559 --> 00:26:18.559 the iniquity 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:19.419 of us all. 00:26:20.579 --> 00:26:21.779 Jesus died on the cross 00:26:21.779 --> 00:26:23.139 to take away our sins, 00:26:23.659 --> 00:26:25.220 to absorb the punishment 00:26:25.220 --> 00:26:26.299 that we deserved 00:26:26.299 --> 00:26:27.299 as those who had 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:28.339 rebelled against God. 00:26:29.619 --> 00:26:30.439 Though we might think 00:26:30.439 --> 00:26:30.980 of ourselves 00:26:30.980 --> 00:26:31.799 as pretty good 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:32.619 moral people 00:26:32.619 --> 00:26:33.859 in the eyes of the world, 00:26:34.259 --> 00:26:35.799 in the eyes of the Lord 00:26:35.799 --> 00:26:36.559 who searches 00:26:36.559 --> 00:26:38.439 all our innermost parts, 00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:39.579 we are 00:26:39.579 --> 00:26:41.139 the wicked 00:26:41.139 --> 00:26:43.279 that must be winnowed 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:43.919 like chaff 00:26:43.919 --> 00:26:46.299 because we had all 00:26:46.299 --> 00:26:46.879 gone astray 00:26:46.879 --> 00:26:47.859 from the way of the Lord. 00:26:48.819 --> 00:26:49.879 We didn't understand 00:26:49.879 --> 00:26:50.639 our own way. 00:26:51.619 --> 00:26:53.439 And as Psalm 139 says, 00:26:53.559 --> 00:26:55.079 the Lord has searched us 00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:56.059 and knows us. 00:26:56.159 --> 00:26:57.460 He knows when we sit down 00:26:57.460 --> 00:26:58.480 and when we rise up. 00:26:58.699 --> 00:26:59.899 He discerns our thoughts 00:26:59.899 --> 00:27:00.539 from afar. 00:27:00.859 --> 00:27:02.240 He searches our path 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:03.299 and our lying down 00:27:03.299 --> 00:27:04.639 and are acquainted 00:27:04.639 --> 00:27:06.319 with all our ways. 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:08.500 God knows where you have been. 00:27:08.500 --> 00:27:12.880 God knows your innermost thoughts. 00:27:14.579 --> 00:27:16.119 The darkest corners 00:27:16.119 --> 00:27:16.799 of your heart 00:27:16.799 --> 00:27:17.920 are brightly lit 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:18.559 before Him. 00:27:18.700 --> 00:27:19.519 There is no hiding 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:20.119 from God. 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:22.099 And yet, 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:23.640 King Jesus, 00:27:24.359 --> 00:27:25.460 in His mercy, 00:27:26.480 --> 00:27:28.119 instead of punishing us 00:27:28.119 --> 00:27:29.180 for our sins, 00:27:29.339 --> 00:27:30.259 took the blows 00:27:30.259 --> 00:27:31.220 that we deserved 00:27:31.220 --> 00:27:33.359 so that by His wounds 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:34.740 our evil 00:27:34.740 --> 00:27:35.839 is cleansed away. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:37.939 so that by Him 00:27:37.939 --> 00:27:38.699 being stricken, 00:27:38.899 --> 00:27:39.980 we are made clean 00:27:39.980 --> 00:27:41.459 in the innermost parts. 00:27:42.599 --> 00:27:43.879 And He was raised 00:27:43.879 --> 00:27:44.539 from the dead 00:27:44.539 --> 00:27:45.679 on the third day 00:27:45.679 --> 00:27:47.539 so that He might grant 00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:48.439 His resurrection, 00:27:48.679 --> 00:27:49.000 power, 00:27:49.099 --> 00:27:49.899 and eternal life 00:27:49.899 --> 00:27:50.980 to all those 00:27:50.980 --> 00:27:52.099 who renounce themselves 00:27:52.099 --> 00:27:53.679 and pledge their allegiance 00:27:53.679 --> 00:27:54.639 to Jesus Christ. 00:27:54.640 --> 00:27:56.920 friends, 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:57.759 are you striving 00:27:57.759 --> 00:27:59.060 in your life 00:27:59.060 --> 00:27:59.759 to earn 00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:00.780 a right standing 00:28:00.780 --> 00:28:01.320 before God? 00:28:03.640 --> 00:28:04.480 Are you seeking 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:05.600 to justify yourself? 00:28:07.520 --> 00:28:08.240 Are you seeking 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:09.000 to prove yourself? 00:28:10.780 --> 00:28:11.759 Instead of seeking 00:28:11.759 --> 00:28:13.020 to justify yourself, 00:28:13.560 --> 00:28:14.640 seek the justification 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:15.660 of the God 00:28:15.660 --> 00:28:16.400 who searches 00:28:16.400 --> 00:28:17.680 your innermost being. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:19.500 Romans chapter 4, 00:28:19.560 --> 00:28:20.240 verse 5 says, 00:28:20.240 --> 00:28:20.780 to the one 00:28:20.780 --> 00:28:21.680 who does not work 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:23.279 but believes in Him 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:24.580 who justifies 00:28:24.580 --> 00:28:25.539 the ungodly, 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:27.160 His faith is counted 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:28.200 as righteousness. 00:28:29.080 --> 00:28:30.019 Your only hope 00:28:30.019 --> 00:28:31.600 of being counted righteous, 00:28:32.039 --> 00:28:32.960 of being justified 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:33.759 before God 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:34.560 is Jesus. 00:28:35.340 --> 00:28:36.460 Your only hope 00:28:36.460 --> 00:28:36.960 of entering 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:37.860 the kingdom of God 00:28:37.860 --> 00:28:38.380 is Jesus. 00:28:39.060 --> 00:28:39.740 And if you turn 00:28:39.740 --> 00:28:40.380 to Jesus 00:28:40.380 --> 00:28:41.539 and if you cling 00:28:41.539 --> 00:28:41.980 to Him, 00:28:42.460 --> 00:28:43.200 He will reign 00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:44.000 over your life 00:28:44.000 --> 00:28:45.080 with steadfast love 00:28:45.080 --> 00:28:46.500 and faithfulness 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:47.460 forever.