Monday, October 26, 2009

Disection of Proverbs 22:4

"True humility and fear of the LORD lead to riches, honor, and long life." (NLT)

Today this verse has really stood out to me and something about it kept resurfacing in my thoughts, so I decided to continue to meditate on it and also wanted to dig deeper into it as well. It's easy to look at it as a math equation, because it is stating non-negotiable fact: (true humility) + (true fear) X (the Lord) = riches + honor + long life (which can be summed up in one word- prosperity).

So on the outside, this looks and appears simple enough... but to fully grasp it is more difficult and you really need to do a little research into the original Hebrew context to discover a few things.
The word meaning 'true humility' is `anavah which also is interpreted as meekness. In order to not be repetitive, see the most previous blog as it deals completely about meekness so that you can have a more firm grasp on that. True humility is not false humility- it is not a show, it is not an outward appearance. It is a genuine heart condition of caring for and loving others; it is putting other peoples needs above your own and recognizing that the world does not revolve around you, but it does revolve around God.
Fear, when stated, is derived from yir'ah which translates to fear, respect, reverence and piety. Piety is having a devout, dutiful respect and regard to the Lord. If you truly respect God, revere Him and fear Him, you obey Him. You have a relationship with him and you listen to what He tells you... and in growing that relationship you learn that He is always right. In your relationship with Him you easily realize that He knows more than you and that God is in fact THE one and only God and there is nothing that compares to Him. At that moment of awakening of spirit and conclusion of fact, I arrive at a crossroads where I have to choose to deny Him or to deny Jim. I could have true fear (reverence, respect and piety) unto the LORD, or I could have complete and utter selfish respect and regard to myself. With truly having fear of God, there is no inbetween and no black and white; a person can either fully follow and obey or continue to sin while only partially giving respect that He alone deserves.

Riches translates to wealth, relating to financial security.

Honor is also related to glory and reputation. If we humble ourselves before God and men, we will gain honor and respect. People may disagree and mock us at times, but standing firm on the LORD's truth and Word illustrates and proves our character is genuine and thus people give respect even if they themselves continually choose to follow a lie.

Last but certainly not least, chayay, is the word which is used in Hebrew in this context for life. In original context, it does not only specify long life, but gives a much broader and enlarged definition.
1) to have life- Only when we live for Christ and honor God do we really have life. We are spiritually dead and cannot fully serve him until we recognize and turn our lives over to the Lord by humbling ourselves before him and as a result, we are 'born again' and become a new creation. (Romans 7:4-6)
2) to be restored- Because of sin and the blemish and stain it has marked on our souls, we can only be restored if we allow for the LORD to do so, which means we have to fear and submit to Him and His authority. Our souls then are clean and taint-free becuase of Christ's blood sacrifice. (Jeremiah 15:19)
3) to really live- Without knowing our true purpose which is serving God, living is blindly stumbling through a labrynth. When we follow the Lord and follow his guideline, we are filled with joy and can experience life in all its fullness. (Eph. 3:19)

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