Mercy and Truth

Brian D. Dykstra (Teacher at Hope PR Christian School, Walker, MI)

*This article was originally written as a devotional for his fellow teachers at Hope CS. It is posted here because of its broader value for our website readers.

Proverbs 3:3-4: “Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about they neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding the sight of God and man.”

In Proverbs 3, Solomon continues giving instruction to his son. The son is instructed in various duties in a godly life. Here Solomon is concerned with mercy and truth, two attributes of God which can be reflected by man.

Mercy is God’s will that His people are blessed by Him so they experience His covenant fellowship. Mercy is shown to those who do not deserve it. Think of a miserable prisoner who deserves a terrible punishment for a crime, who knows the judge would be totally just in executing a terrible punishment upon him, but who finds himself to be spared for no other reason than that it is the judge’s will. Mercy is also shown by those who stand in authority. It is the judge who shows mercy toward the condemned, not the condemned who shows mercy toward the judge.

Truth is what is right. Reality is accurately and completely stated with no desire to bend or twist the facts for one’s advantage. A truthful man will not use words in a way to deceive or deny the meaning of words. Getting an accurate answer from a truthful man will not require a careful definition of the word “is.”

Mercy and truth go together. A judge who disregards the fact of the committing of a crime, who pays no attention to the established laws and the punishments due to be given to those who break them, or who pays no attention to the facts or evidence in a case so he can allow the prisoner to go free, will not be called merciful. He will be thought of as negligent of his duties. A judge who pays strict attention to law, stridently executes punishment upon the guilty and passes out the maximum penalty at every opportunity, will be known as truthful but also as being hard as flint.

God is a different kind of judge. When God sets the guilty free, He can do so without being negligent. The Lord’s justice has not been violated or ignored. Jehovah has provided His Son who is able to suffer the most terrible punishment on our behalf. God can show His mercy without disregarding the truth of our guilt.

We are not to allow mercy and truth to forsake us. We cannot let them leave, just as Jacob wrestled with the Angel of the Lord and would not let him go until the Angel blessed him. As members of God’s church, we can only experience the blessing of fellowship within the bounds of mercy and truth. What would church life be without them?

Far from letting mercy and truth forsake us, we are told to bind them about our neck. This is a tight binding too. It is the type of binding you would use on a man who was a conspirator and you have captured him. He is a valuable prisoner because if he would escape, the safety of the king is in peril. A conspirator is bound or imprisoned in such a way as to make his getting away impossible. That is the value of mercy and truth to us.

We are to bind them about our neck. Some neck bindings are symbols of servitude. A slave has his chains of bondage, a prisoner has his chains of punishment and a dog has a collar as a symbol of being owned. Mercy and truth are a beautiful ornament, an expensive and valuable necklace. Those who wear such an ornament are seen to possess something of beauty and great value. An ornament of mercy and truth makes us attractive.

To have mercy and truth as an ornament on the outside, as mere decoration, is not enough. We are to write them upon the table of the heart. When we write things on paper, we have the purpose of giving them permanence. Quality paper can last for a long time. However, we are not to write mercy and truth on paper, permanent as it is. We must write them on tables, as of stone. The inscription on a properly maintained stone marker will last for a long time. This is the table of the heart. Mercy and truth must have a permanent impression on our hearts. Our lives, pictured by the heart, must be recognized as reflecting God’s mercy and truth.

When we live our lives this way, we will have favour and good understanding (success) in the sight of God and man. Even in the courts of the ungodly, Joseph, David and Daniel found favour in the eyes of men. When, at the age of twelve, Jesus was found in the temple, He had favour with those who spoke with Him. What can we say about favour in the sight of God? There is nothing better than to experience the blessing of His fellowship.

May God be pleased to use this school and the instruction of covenant parents to write His mercy and truth on the hearts of His children here.

Forget Not My Law

Brian D. Dykstra (Teacher at Hope PR Christian School, Walker, MI)

*This article was originally written as a devotional for his fellow teachers at Hope CS. It is posted here because of its broader value for our website readers.

Proverbs 3:1-2: “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.”

In Proverbs 3, Solomon is stating the duties of life. We are to trust in God and honour Him. We must not despise God’s chastening hand. We are told of the benefits of getting wisdom and the comfort wisdom brings in life. We are also told how to deal with a neighbour in need and with those who oppress others. Yet, this whole section begins with the command to “... forget not my law.”

Let’s not overlook the first two words of verse 1, “My son.” Although what follows comes in the form of a command, these first words set a mood different from that of a harsh command which might come from an overseer. This is the voice of our loving Father. He is almighty, but He does not use His strength to punish us for our sins. Rather, His strength is used to deliver His people from their sins. As the maker and upholder of all things, He is able to provide what He deems is necessary for us.

The Father is here addressing a son. Yet, we should not think this address relegates daughters to second class status. Have you ever met a father who puts less effort into the instruction of his children who are daughters? Is the standard of behaviour lower for them? Are daughters viewed as having a less important place in the life of the covenant? How about it fathers, is the mother of your children second rate or not of vital importance to the covenant life of your home? Are her job requirements minuscule? Does any of this sound as God’s attitude toward the mother of His only begotten Son whom the angel Gabriel hailed as “highly favoured”?

The son is told not to forget his Father’s law. There are different ways to forget. We can forget because we become preoccupied with the affairs of life. Often we forget because of the weakness of our memories. Here, the son is told not to deliberately set aside the law of God. Such is the case when, after careful thought and evaluation, God’s law is not deemed to be worthy of keeping. We choose to establish our own standard of morality. God’s law is not suitable for the type of life we wish to live so we had best forget it so we can enjoy what this world has to offer. Of course, we understand what the end of such a life would be. I am reminded of a church sign I saw several times this past summer, “Live your life as if this is all there is, and it will be.” Some will wish this is all there is to their existence when they reach their final destination.

The son is told to keep the father’s commandments in his heart. We keep something that is valuable to us. If we have valuable possessions, we do what we can to reserve them for our own use. In bygone years, a keep was a place to guard valuables so no one could take them.

We have an interesting place of safe keeping mentioned here. These commandments are to be kept in the heart. Let the Pharisees beware! The service given to the Triune God through obedience must spring from faithful hearts. The commandments are not kept in the mind or mouth. We do not have some external decoration of obedience which camouflages a heart full of deceit. It is the heart from which are the issues of life. Heartfelt service alone is pleasing to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse two tells us of the sure reward of obeying the Father’s command. God’s law will add length of days, long life and peace to us. Do all of Jehovah’s faithful children live to advanced years and go to their graves with honoured heads of gray? That is not our experience. Besides, do we seek long life here so we can enjoy the charms of this earth? We will be given length of days in the land of rest to come. That is where we will have complete peace with God. Our sins and the possibility to sin will be removed so we will have no shame to ourselves or give any more offence to our gracious God. Peace with the Almighty! Could we desire something better?

May our faithful covenant God use this school so His children do not forget His law, but keep it in their hearts. In that way, they will have a peace worth having.

The Way of Good Men

Brian D. Dykstra, Teacher in Hope PR Christian School, Walker, MI

*This article was originally written as a devotional for his fellow teachers at Hope CS. It is posted here because of its broader value for our website readers.

Proverbs 2:20-22: “That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.”

In the beginning of the book of Proverbs, Solomon tells us the purpose of his work. The people of God are to know wisdom and the young are to gain discretion. Here, at the end of chapter 2, Solomon repeats his desire for God’s children. We were told in verses 10-15 that when wisdom enters our hearts we are delivered from the path of wicked men. Verses 16-19 tell us that wisdom delivers us from strange women. These evil men and women seek to lure us to walk the same path as they do. It is the path which is broad, easy and comfortable, but the end of that path is certain destruction.

Now in verse 20 we are instructed that wisdom will lead us to walk in the way of good men. There were faster means of transportation in Solomon’s day. However, we are not told that we will run on this way. The goal is not that we will ride some animal or cart pulled by an animal on this way. Speed is not the emphasis. Our society is fast paced. Also, because there are so many churches and schools in our area, we can become very busy in events that are beneficial. Yet, there is a need to walk. Psalm 19 tells us of the speech of the night time sky, but how often do we slow down long enough to look at the stars?

Also, walking is something we can do for an extended period of time. Being on the way of good men is not a quick burst of energy which then results in our having to take a break for a time. This past summer my surveying crew chief and I were working on a small farm. The woman of the house came out to ask me how the work was going. She mentioned, “You sure do a lot of walking. Do you do this all day?” I replied, “Yes, I told my boss I could walk all day, but I will never run anywhere.” Walking is for the long term.

We are to walk on a way, a trodden path. We are not cutting a new path. We are not going where no one else has gone before. We are not chopping down trees and cutting brush to establish a new path. This way has been trodden by so many that the grass is gone. We are not struggling through bushes or hedges. This way is easily distinguished from the surrounding terrain. There are many who have walked this path before us.

The way is that of the good and the righteous. The good are those who conform to the standard of God’s law. This is not a denial of total depravity to say that there are good men. Aren’t we comfortable saying Enoch, Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, David and many others were good? What about the saints of our own personal experience? We simply must remember the source of the good. Are we good of ourselves? Try to find a saint who truly understands redemption through Christ’s blood who would say he is the source of his own goodness. How many do you think you’d find?

The righteous are the just. This is a moral and legal term. The righteous are free from guilt. A judge has declared them innocent of any wrong doing. Again, do you know of any fellow saints, or do you read of saints in history or Scripture who claim their righteousness is their own? Do you picture any saint who understands the holiness of God daring to say he is righteous enough in himself to enter heaven? No, the path has been walked humbly by those who by faith confess Christ to be their righteousness.

The chapter ends with the final destination of the upright and the wicked. The upright will dwell together. This will give us fellowship in a place which will last. We will not be on the shifting tides of water. The land is firm and stable. It is a place where God’s people will remain. We do not need to worry about being given an eviction notice. It is an everlasting place where God’s people will have fellowship with each other and with Him.

It is quite different for the wicked. The end is antithetical. There will be no common ground. They will be cut off. They will be separated and have no connection with this firm place of fellowship. They will be rooted out. Plants that are rooted out do not grow back. It is not as if they will be trimmed or cut back so they can grow back when God’s wrath is appeased.

May God grant us and our students wisdom to discern the path of the upright. The path marked by His Word leads to fellowship with Him in our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Strange Woman

Brian D. Dykstra, Teacher in Hope PR Christian School, Walker, MI

*This article was originally written as a devotional for his fellow teachers at Hope CS. It is posted here because of its broader value for our website readers.

Proverbs 2:16-19: “To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.”

In these verses, Solomon continues to teach us from what evils we are preserved when godly wisdom enters our hearts. In the previous verses, we were told from what type of man we are delivered. In these four verses, we read of being preserved from evil women. Young men are taught to what type of woman they are not to be attracted. Our young women have here an example of what type of woman they are not to become.

There is surprising news about this evil woman in verse 17. We learn that she has forsaken the guide of her youth and has forgotten the covenant of her God. This is not what we would read about this woman, if she were of the Philistines or from some other of the surrounding heathen nations. She has not been brought up in the way of idol worship. The god of her younger years was not a convenient excuse for gratifying sinful desires.

She had been brought up in the sphere of the covenant. Jehovah and His law had been her guide in her formative years. She had been taught of God’s covenant. However, because she was not elect, the instruction given did not take root in her heart. When she became old enough, she wickedly forsook the instruction she had been given. The pleasures of a life of sin were what she desired. She must have been the cause of great heartache for her parents, as Samson caused grief for his.

Yet, she is described as being a strange woman. This is not a reference to some personality quirk which makes her unique from all other women you might meet in life. Although she was born and raised in the church, she separated herself from it making herself an alien to those who are truly God’s people. She immersed herself in a way of life which was supposed to be alien to God’s people. She is separated because of her unrighteous living.

She now, out of her hatred for God, His ways and His people, seeks to bring others with her. She does this through flattery. She uses her tongue to make smooth the way to her trap. If she speaks of her love and attraction for a young man, it is not sincere. He is merely a means to satisfy her sinful desires. Perhaps she speaks of how pleasant the experience with her will be. She will assure her victim that everything will be all right. Nobody will find out. There is nobody who will be hurt. Her words are insincere. To listen to her is to begin the sure slide down the slippery slope to self-destruction.

There is only one end when a man becomes involved with her. Her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. Her house does not lead to the infirmary or the hospital. Her path does not bring its travellers to the place of illness or even severe bruising. She will lead to spiritual death. Solomon could speak from experience here. He loved many strange women. He built many temples for idol gods. Solomon’s heart was not perfect as was his father David’s. Solomon is a rare example of one who did escape the destruction of that path. God’s arm can reach to pluck out His own from the fire, but such people seem so few that we read, “None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.”

Proverbs 22:14 tells us, “The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein.” No wonder the examples of those who escape judgment after once starting along this path are so few.

Our young men need discretion to recognize such women for what they are. It can be a difficult task in our world today. What type of woman is thought of as being desirable? Is modesty a valued virtue? What is thought of a young woman who expresses the desire to be a wife and mother in the home? How cherished is a submissive heart? It is not the look of chastity which radiates from the eyes of the women on the covers of magazines.

Our young women need strength and encouragement in home and school to develop the godly virtues of meekness, sobriety and modesty by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The opposite of these characteristics is practically screamed at us every day in the media and marketplace.

May God give our students understanding hearts to discern what is truly attractive so that there are covenant homes raising a pure seed in the years remaining until our Lord’s return.