Help For the Hopeless
Proverbs 13:12-19
Some people view Christianity as just another religion and the Bible as a book of rules. Even many Christians view the Bible that way. But is that really true? Is that God’s heart in giving us His Word? Imagine you are lost and needing to be somewhere quickly. You feel the stress of the clock ticking and you have no idea where you are or which way to go.
You put the address into your digital device and a voice tells you which way to go. Go left here, turn right there, and step by step you find your destination. Stop and consider your emotions in that moment. When the voice tells you what to do, are you angry? Are you frustrated that the device is so bossy? Do you quickly turn the device off because you’re sick of it telling you what to do? Or is there a sense or relief? Do you take a deep breath and realize everything is going to be okay now?
Why do we automatically think the Bible is a book full of rules? Doesn’t it make more sense to see it as a voice that’s there to help us find the path of life? It’s a road map to the life our souls long for. There is a word that is used over fifty times in Proverbs and over 750 times in the Old Testament. It’s a Hebrew word that’s sometimes translated desires, or appetite or sometimes life or soul. It’s about finding what a makes life worth living.
That word is used several times in Proverbs 13. For example, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire (there’s our word) fulfilled is the tree of life (v. 12). Hope in the New Testament refers to something that is sure, but yet future. But this word for hope in Proverbs is more like how we use the term in English. It’s about going from something bad to something good, from misfortune to fortune. It’s a progression from something poor to something better.
So, what is hope deferred? In English it sounds like something delayed but that’s not what the Hebrew is saying. Something deferred is something unfulfilled. It’s something that’s never going to happen. In other words, that longing deep in my soul will never be satisfied and that makes the heart sick. It’s a deep disappointment. The result of this is foolish decisions. Once someone becomes desperate and hopeless, they don’t have much to lose. This explains why so many people in our culture live such empty and destructive lives. They’ve lost all hope. The soul (our word desire) of the sluggard craves and gets nothing. The sluggard has given up. There’s no point in trying any more.
How does this happen? They despise the word. The one who despises the word will be in debt to it. The wordis a reference to the Bible. To despise it is to refuse to listen. The fool sees the bible as a book of rules and fails to recognize it as the roadmap to life. The result of this refusal to listen is debt, in other words you’ll pay a price for that decision.
But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. The alternative is to listen to the voice on the GPS as it guides you to life. It’s to see the Bible as a guidebook, a road map to life. The reference to a tree of life certainly takes us back to Genesis 2 and the garden of Eden. It’s the way back to paradise and it comes from receiving the word rather than despising it.
Speaking of the Bible, Proverbs states, But the one who fears the commandment (listens to it) will be rewarded.To listen and follow the voice of God revealed through His Word is to invite hope. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life. Like springs in the dessert, it’s cool and refreshing water to a thirsty soul. Desire realized is sweet to the soul. The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite.
There is no reason for a sick heart. No reason for hope deferred. Life is offered to those who choose to receive it. The guidance we need is there for all who choose to listen and obey. Is the Bible a rule book full of restrictions and judgments or a guidebook that leads to the path of life? I guess how you answer that question will determine what you experience in life. It’s up to you. The way of a fool is right in his own eyes. That usually means he or she will continue down the same worn-out path no matter how empty and unfulfilling it is. Like a strong-willed child they will refuse to listen no matter what.
For those who listen, what awaits you is a tree of life. Not just in the world to come, but not—today—as you travel the path of this life. You can relax, take a deep breath, and know there is a voice to lead you to springs in the desert. You’re not on your own. You can live skillfully. Just listen and obey. Everything is going to be okay.