Instead of...

 

Isaiah 3:24 

Instead of perfume there will be rottenness;
    and instead of a belt, a rope;
and instead of well-set hair, baldness;
    and instead of a rich robe, a skirt of sackcloth;
    and branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men shall fall by the sword
    and your mighty men in battle.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourn;
    empty, she shall sit on the ground.

As Isaiah brought his message of judgment, things were going to change drastically. At that time Jerusalem was filled with prosperity, pride, and people. That's what they put their trust in. They could not imagine their lifestyle coming to an abrupt devastation. All of the stuff, all of the strength, and all the pleasure they had become accustomed to would suddenly be gone. Life would take a horrible 180 and all of their stuff - and their freedom - would be lost. What a warning they were given and ultimately ignored. Can we even imagine that could happen to us? 

Seeing through the Smog of Sin...

 

Isaiah 1:24 Therefore the Lord declares,
    the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel:
“Ah, I will get relief from my enemies
    and avenge myself on my foes.
25 I will turn my hand against you
    and will smelt away your dross as with lye
    and remove all your alloy.
26 And I will restore your judges as at the first,
    and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness,
    the faithful city."

As we arrive at the Prophets of the Old Testament, it becomes abundantly clear that all is not well among God's people.  Sin is rampant. Injustice is a daily occurrence. Immorality prevails. The fruit of evil is everywhere. Yet God is able to look beyond that to see what restoration will look like, and He gives a message of hope, calling his people to repentance, faith, and worship. That's what he calls us to see when we look at ourselves and those around us.  The Fall is devastating, even where it tries to hide. But hope springs eternal. 

Not Found

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 

Solomon knew a lot a women: literally and figuratively. Many were for the sake of political alignment; most were in it for the money and lavish living; very few (maybe only one?) had his heart. Solomon was not necessarily bashing women here, but his own failures to evaluate them will. They were hard to figure out. A trustworthy friend was heard enough to find, but it was even harder for him to find a woman to trust. We need much wisdom to find one.

Nothing Better...

Ecclesiastes 2:24 There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

After spending the first half of the chapter describing the meaningless of investing one's life in the pursuit of every possible way to find fulfillment, Solomon had also thrown himself into every kind of work possible, and still come up empty handed.  In his quest, we find this nugget of truth almost buried: the joy of the simple life: God made us to work and find pleasure in the conclusion of every day, every completed task, every little gift God provides, if we also are doing it to please Him.  It is shared enjoyment. Solomon's struggle with meaning came with his focus on everything he did, constantly leaving God out of the picture. This wise man did the most foolish thing: making it all about himself instead of the God who gave him wisdom. 

Someone in Mind...

 Proverbs 31:

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women have done excellently,
    but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

When we look back over all the wisdom in the book of Proverbs, we are often struck with the universality of it all. The principles apply to everyone.  But at times it appears the writer has someone specific in mind. When he says "My son," it applies to every young man, but in context it's more like "I'm talking to you!" We have such an instance also here in verse 29: you surpass them all. The woman of this chapter is exemplary. Who do you think of here?

Wisdom in Small Packages

 Proverbs 30
24 Four things on earth are small,
    but they are exceedingly wise:
25 the ants are a people not strong,
    yet they provide their food in the summer;
26 the rock badgers are a people not mighty,
    yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 the locusts have no king,
    yet all of them march in rank;
28 the lizard you can take in your hands,
    yet it is in kings' palaces.

Often, we humans boast in our position on the earth.  We think we would be better off without some of those other "creatures" and view them as pests to be eliminated. But before we do away with them, let us learn the lessons of wisdom God gives through them: hard work, good planning, unity, and just plain persistence.  Now let's apply that to other pesty people, and maybe they will be less irritating too. 

Humility, Honesty, and Hope

 Proverbs 29:
23 One's pride will bring him low,
    but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
24 The partner of a thief hates his own life;
    he hears the curse, but discloses nothing.
25 The fear of man lays a snare,
    but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.
26 Many seek the face of a ruler,
    but it is from the Lord that a man gets justice.

What is it that keeps the righteous going, even in a world filled with hate, injustice, and evil? To be sure, first and foremost is one's trust in God. Trusting Him to keep us safe from it all and to help us know how to respond to it all.  Add to that the character that God develops within us when we do trust in Him: humility instead of mirroring pride; honesty even when it will turn others against us; hope when everyone and everything seems stacked against us. God carries us through not when we are true to our old selves, but true to who He is making us to be in and through Christ.