September 12

Sep 12 - Today from Proverbs 12 we look at verse 27
"The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions." (NIV)
"The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting, but the substance of the diligent man is precious." (KJV)

Values. Values asks the question, "What is most important to me?" Our true answer does not come from our mind or our mouth, but from our heart and our actions. I see in our little proverb story of today a man who might have said, "The game I took today is valuable for food and sustenance for me and my family." But that's not what his heart and his actions revealed. The Hebrew term for roast in this verse is rooted in the idea of a braid and gives the idea of "game entangled in a net or caught in a snare". I am not a Hebrew scholar, so I have no idea why the word was translated into our word, roast. It is not found anywhere else in the Bible. Depending on how you translate, the action of the lazy hunter could be seen in two different ways, but the results are the same:

1. If the translation is closer to the original Hebrew, I see that the hunter put out his nets and snares to capture some birds or small game to provide food for his table. He indicated his values up to that point. But apparently something more important to him came into play as he never bothered to go and check his nets and/or snares. The trapped birds and/or animals were likely to perish and end up as a meal for the wild animals. They would be of no value to the hunter or his household.

2. If the current translation holds true, the hunter did retrieve his game, but something more important to him took him away from this task. In the days this was written, game either had to be eaten immediately or it had to be cured. Both processes involved roasting. One process was for consumption, the other for drying and smoking. If neither were done, the game would spoil and be of no value to the hunter or to his household.

Now I think you can see the point of the proverb. Values. Education and common sense can cause us to know and articulate proper values. . . what should be most important to us. But only our hearts and our actions reveal what is truly most important to us. It is true that it is vitally important that we know what should be our proper values, but as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to be committed to actually making them our values by our actions. This is where we need the power of the Holy Spirit through an ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. If we let up on our disciplines, we will see our spiritual sustenance starving in the snares or rotting on the table. Not a nice picture, is it?
Our church just went through the process of identifying and articulating a beautiful values statement. As I read through the statement point by point, I am convicted. There are some things I obviously deem more important by my actions than what was written in the statement. It is also obvious to me, and to our community, that our church does not uphold these values well either. When our fellowship of believers (myself included), commits ourselves to be disciplined disciples in order to make this values statement true through our actions, we will become a dynamic force for the kingdom of God in our community and our world. It is a great possibility! It is the mission of the church!
I am praying for some changes in my own personal values (action, not articulation), and for the demonstrated values of our church. I can pray with conviction, because I know it is the will of the Father. Join me, for yourself and for your church: "Come Holy Spirit, and move upon our hearts. May the passion of our Savior move us to action in love for the glory of His Name. Amen."