Daily Devotional
               Betty Miller shares her daily devotionals which are based on the book of Proverbs in the Bible.   

  The Wisdom of God

Verses for the Day:

Proverbs 17:2(KJV):
2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

Proverbs 17:2(Amp):
2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son who causes shame, and shall share in the inheritance among the brothers.

Thoughts for the Day:

The book of Proverbs continues to commend the virtues of wisdom. Verse 2 tells us that even a servant who operates in wisdom has an advantage over a rebellious son.  When a prodigal son does not care about his father's enterprises, and the father has an employee that is trustworthy and diligent; that father will entrust his business to the servant who cares, instead of his own son.   Many natural-born sons have lost their inheritance because they were irresponsible, while many faithful employees have been promoted in business and eventually even become an heir.

Sometimes a son will just sell his birthright for the pleasure of the moment and lose his inheritance.  The Bible records one such story.  It is the story of two sons named Esau and Jacob.  Esau was the eldest son, and the oldest son always received the inheritance of the first born from his father.   It was his birthright. This entire story is recorded in Genesis 25:20-34. Esau was a hunter, while Jacob was a farmer.  Esau came in from a hunting trip on one occasion and was famished.  Jacob had prepared a pot of pottage (lentil stew) and Esau asked Jacob for some of it. Jacob told him he would give it to him if he would sell him his birthright (the rights of the first born).

Genesis 25:30-34:
30 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.
31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

Esau ended up despising his birthright because he sold it to his brother for a bowl of pottage in a moment of hunger.  Many of God's children are selling their their inheritance in the same way.  When a child of God sells out to go his own way, he loses the birthright God has prepared for him.  Sometimes it is lost forever.  If someone chooses to despise his birthright, he may miss a great calling that God has for him.  It does not mean he will miss out on going to heaven; however, he can miss his calling.  God, then must speak to someone else, who will obey Him and fulfill that calling.  It is important when God speaks to a person to follow Him, that they obey Him, so they will not miss out on the call that God has for them.  The New Testament says when Esau changed his mind, and repented for giving away his birthright, he was unable to get it back even though he sought carefully to do so.  There are opportunities that we can miss if we fail to obey when God calls us.

Hebrews 12:15-17:
15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
16 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

This did not mean that Esau was not forgiven for despising his birthright, as God forgives us when we ask Him to forgive us.  It meant that there was no repentance as far as the birthright was concerned.  It could not be reversed.  Esau gave it to Jacob under an oath and God would not reverse that oath. God can--and does--forgive any sin that we may commit; however, we are still left with the consequences of our sins.  For instance, a mother may have an illegitimate son whom the father of that child did not want. She may ask God to forgive her for her fornication.  When she does, she is forgiven and clean in the sight of God as far as her sin is concerned.   However, she still has the illegitimate child to raise.  Many people find God in prison and ask God to forgive them for their crimes and He does.  However, they still have a debt to pay to society, so they must live with the consequences of their sin.   The good news is that they now can live above their circumstances if they call out to Christ to help them, and in many cases, their sentences are cut short because of His grace and mercy.

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12(Amp): "Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yes, more excellent it is for those (the living) who see the sun. For wisdom is a defense even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom shields and preserves the life of him who has it."

Prayer for the Day:

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that You called me to be Your servant.  Lord, give me the grace to serve You well.  I do thank You for Your wisdom also.   Guide me daily in the things that I must do and show me my priorities.  Help me to be sensitive to the needs of those around me.  Lord, I am looking to You to meet all of my needs.   Give me peace and confidence when I must deal with situations that are difficult for me.  May I speak the truth in love and be open myself for correction when You see something in my life that needs changing.  I ask this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.