December 28

Dec 28 - Today from Proverbs 28 we look at verse 25
"A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper."

Proverbs for the king and those who dealt with the king. This was the purpose for which Hezekiah's aids collected the proverbs of chapters 25-31. Today they remain just as relevant for leaders and those who aspire to leadership. Leadership in God's economy is servanthood. Great leaders are to be great servants. Think of the greatest leader of all. . . the Lord Jesus.
There was a clever man who tirelessly labored to secure a fiefdom in the midst of a kingdom. He desired nothing more than complete security for himself for the years he was given on this earth. He would achieve this by control over a select group who would do his bidding. He was clever in that those who served him within his fiefdom were convinced that they were better off with him than they were on their own - and in some ways they were. He offered certain benefits, but even then, the underlying motive was to benefit himself by keeping his vassals true to himself. He is a greedy man.
The KJV of this verse uses the term 'proud heart' in place of 'greedy man'. In this instance 'proud' literally means 'room in every direction'. Room only for himself. Every motive, even of those acts that may appear to be charitable or sensitive, is to serve self-interests. What we have just described in the story of the clever man is a model of the world system. From the suzerain systems of the ancient East to the feudal systems of medieval Europe to the tribal systems of Africa and the near East to the corporate systems of the modern West - greedy men seek to dominate their fiefdoms through whatever means possible. It is the chief result of pride and sin. Unfortunately, the church too is riddled with leaders and would-be leaders with proud hearts - men who seek control to push their own agenda. They are often difficult to identify, because their actions can appear to be righteous, but the discerning can detect them through the scrutiny of the primary indicator - a servant's heart.
The church is to be uniquely different from the world system. Our Law Code is founded in one word; LOVE. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus said that all of the law and prophets hang on this single great concept. In the proud man's heart there is room in every direction only for his rule and his way. In the believer's life there is to be room only for Christ's rule. Many who appear to thrive in the world system are in fact poor and wretched creatures who are in bondage to the very system upon which they rely - they just don't know it. But, unless they have their eyes opened in this life and see the big picture of God's plan, they will one day stand before God and suddenly understand their predicament, and will join those who are doomed to eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth. They are not to be envied, but rather to be pitied. The rewards of the world system are found only within the system, and will one day pass away. The rewards of serving God and serving our fellow man under His guidance are eternal. That is true prosperity!
"The greedy man stirs up dissension." That is the nature of pride and sin. The servant of the Lord is a peacemaker - not through surrender to the enemies of God, but through surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God." (Matthew 5:9).