If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Most children today do not understand that life is filled with suffering and struggle. That could be because parents feel as if they must protect their children from all testing, trials, and even work. Somehow, people came to believe that childhood and “adolescent” years were supposed to be consumed with “fun and games.” On the one hand, we do want to be careful not to subject our children to spiritual and emotional trials that would overwhelm them. Yet, on the other hand, the purpose of child training is to prepare them to joyfully accept the emotional, spiritual, and physical strains of life that are sure to come their way. As a young boy, David was tasked with feeding his father’s sheep and defending them from lions and bears. Our sons should be no less prepared to face life-threatening circumstances of this sort.
Whether or not parents will try to delay the days of adversity for their children, in the final analysis there will be no avoiding these days. Eventually, the storms will come. As one songwriter put it, “Some days are diamonds and some days are stones.” Thankfully, we do not face the lions and bears every day, but the days of adversity can never be avoided entirely. There are trying times that last a short while, but at other times it seems as if we are trudging through a swamp filled with mud and alligators for months and even years at a time. But we must realize that all of it comes by God’s providential direction.
The hard truth is that when the hard times come, some will pass the tests and some will not. When a man or a woman collapses under the weight of trials, consequences follow. Emotional breakdown, broken families, divorces, fragmented churches, economic crises, and bankruptcies all play a part in the fallout when people buckle in the day of adversity.
The proverb before us gives us the vaccine against such a dreadful outcome. What is needed is strength! Physical strength, yes, but the text speaks more of spiritual strength. Strong faith is needed to overcome the world. By faith, kingdoms were subdued, promises were obtained, and lions’ mouths were stopped (Heb. 11:33)! For lack of faith, men fail to lead their families through the darkest valleys, the hardest attacks of the enemy, and the wildest seas. In the absence of faith, pastors will compromise their teaching of the Word of God and fail to speak the “hard” words. For lack of faith, love fails. It is precisely in our Christian marriages and churches, where true love should endure all things. “Increase our faith,” is the heart cry of every Christian man or woman. Every trial is intended to strengthen our faith and prepare us for what lies ahead. Even as the man who works out in the gym every day is better prepared for the day he meets the bully in the streets, the Christian must work to strengthen his faith for the days of vicious attack that are sure to come. If you grow lax in your spiritual exercises and refuse to learn the lessons of faith that God teaches you when life is smooth sailing, don’t be surprised if your ship takes a beating in rough waters!
If you forbear to deliver them that are drawn to death, and those that are ready to be slain;
if you say, behold, we knew it not; does not He that ponders the heart consider it? And He that keeps your soul, does not He know it? And shall not He render to every man according to his works?
We live in a sinful world, and until it is entirely redeemed in the final consummation, we must deal with the reality of evil. This has been the case since the fall of man. Before the worldwide flood, men succumbed to wholesale acts of unrestrained violence (Gen. 6:13), so after the flood, God provided a very important law that would preserve human society from disintegrating into the gross tyrannical and anarchical violence that characterized mankind prior to the worldwide deluge, “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen. 9:6). This is the most basic civil law. When the civil magistrate fails to execute murderers, it fails at the most basic level to fulfill its role as a government over human society. As the minister of God, the civil magistrate is bound to use the sword (Rom. 13:1–4), and capital punishment is the just punishment for the crime of murder (Ex. 21:12–14, Num. 35:31, Deut. 19:9–13). The present text may indeed speak to kings, or kings in training, but does it have any other application? What happens in the case where governments fail to preserve life? And how might this text direct one who comes upon a violent crime in progress? One thing we know from Scripture is that a righteous man always defends innocent human life wherever and whenever it is threatened. Reuben delivered Joseph from almost certain death, and Jonathan protected David when Saul was out for his life.
God cares about every single life that He has created. Every drop of blood that falls on to the street, whether it results from murder or the negligent drunk driver, God takes special note of it. It is our responsibility to preserve that life. Cain asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer should have been obvious, “Of course you are!”
This obligation to preserve life is a major priority for every one of us. If life is being threatened in your immediate vicinity, you have an obligation to act. Drop everything else you are doing and immediately take action to prevent the loss of life. Perhaps the best example of this scenario is the Good Samaritan who rescued the traveler from almost certain death.
In our present society, most of us will probably confront these life-threatening conditions only a few times during our lives. A child is drowning in a pool, a toddler runs out into traffic, or a burglar takes a shot at a family member. Though such occurrences are rare, people do lose their lives through the systemic abuses of government fiats and tyrannical policies. For example, large corporations, hospitals, and clinics work in collusion with governments, media, and schools to murder hundreds of millions of babies in their mothers’ wombs. What does a godly man do in such a murderous society? Some Christians have blocked clinics, others write letters to the editor of their local newspaper, and others work to elect righteous leaders who will advocate policies that will preserve human life. Probably the most effective thing to do in the short term is to convince individual mothers not to kill their children. The political, social, philosophical, and academic forces are extremely strong and deceitful, persuading millions of women to live their lives for themselves. But if you have a good relationship with a friend, relative, or coworker, you may be able to convince him or her to love the baby instead of killing it. Even under these conditions, Christians have a responsibility to do what they can to preserve human life. Different people will take different approaches in handling these things; some will be more involved politically, while others may spend more of their time with “Crisis Pregnancy Centers,” working with the individual women. Wisdom will dictate the most effective way to fight these battles for each individual, given his own talents and experience.
My son, eat honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to your taste;
so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto your soul; when you have found it, then there shall be a reward, and your expectation shall not be cut off.
Wisdom is here compared to honey and the honeycomb, both of which are sweet and desirable to the taste. The only problem with honey is you can eat too much of it, and then it will cease to be fulfilling. Eat six cups of honey at one time, and you will understand the point. With some of God’s blessings, such as wine or honey, there comes a point at which the blessing no longer satisfies. After the second and the third piece of chocolate cream pie, you might still be happy with the results and fully expect that the fourth will be just as satisfying. After the fourth helping, however, you might begin to feel a little sick. Thus, we must take these things in moderation and not place too high an expectation on how much they will satisfy the ultimate longings of our souls.
But none of this is true for wisdom. You cannot possibly over-indulge on wisdom! Study wisdom that you might improve your relationships, strengthen your family, and find ways to do all to the glory of God. Ultimate reward and fulfillment come with every minute lived by true wisdom. As self is purged from your actions and intentions, and as you live more for the service of God and others, you will find true peace and lasting joy. May God help you to apply your hearts to wisdom.
1. What happens when people fall in the day of adversity?
2. How might you grow in strength today, that you might be prepared for the challenges awaiting you in the future?
3. What is the first and most basic civil law that God revealed to men after the flood?
4. What sort of situations should you get involved with in order to preserve human life?
5. Do you find wisdom sweet to the taste? Have you ever been disappointed when you made a wise decision?