December 30, 2017 -- Proverbs 30:32 Victory Shouts
/If you have been foolish in exalting yourself,
Or if you have devised evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
Proverbs 30:32 NKJV
Recently during a show on terrifying, stinging, biting, and dangerous creatures there was included a brief (corny) montage of black and white horror films. When the scary monster, or creature, or thing appeared, inevitably the frightened person put her hand over her mouth and screamed in terror.
The proverb quoted above instructs us to put our hand over our mouth when we realize we have been prideful or have been devising evil. It the case of this proverb putting your hand on your mouth is a sign of the fear of the LORD. We are to be afraid of offending the Lord God of heaven by our foolish conduct and ungrateful hearts.
The holy fear of the LORD means:
His Name and reputation are so great we do not want to bring Him into disrepute by our words or actions;
The holy fear of the LORD means:
Our love for Him is so strong that when we realize our wrong-doing we clap our hand over our mouth because we have offended the One we love. More importantly, the One Who loves us is our very great shield and reward so we do not want to speak ill of Him or act against Him.
The holy fear of the LORD means:
we acknowledge all that Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation endured. He endured contempt and hatred and crucifixion and did so with His eyes fixed on the glory of His Father and in obedience to the Father's will He brought about the rescue of sinners (such as we all are) from the clutches of pride and evil.
Those who remember the 1993 World Series, will remember that it was the second year in a row that the Blue Jays won the championship. They beat the Philadelphia Phillies. You CAN NOT imagine a Blue Jays fan shouting and cheering for the Phillies, can you? When it is the bottom of the ninth and Joe Carter hits that home-run, there is no way you'd be yelling and shouting for the Phillies when you are in a sea of Jays fans!
So it is with us, as Christians, Jesus, the Captain of our Salvation, has hit it out of the park--He has rescued us. The game's final victory is assured. We do not shout and cheer for the losing team. Therefore we put a hand over our mouth when we find ourselves in the wrong and we confess it. We look to our King and shout in praise.
We praise You, O LORD!
Join in, little children, add your songs and shouts old men and families. For Jesus, You have won the greatest victory, the only competition that matters. You have shown the glory of our Father in heaven. Jesus, You have revealed the Father's patient mercy for lost sinners as at exactly the right moment in history, You publicly defeated the devil and disarmed the hosts of hell at the cross. All the claims of the devil against us have fallen to the ground the way to God is open. Blessed be Your Name, Spirit of the Living God for showing us this great salvation. Forgive me for the times I have wavered, or have admired the losing team. Give me the grace and courage to stand up for Jesus, even if the stadium around me is filled with fans for the losing team. Let my voice grow hoarse shouting Your praises, triune God! Amen.
