Patience (4 of 5)
Series: Chasing Peace
Craig Smith
Psalm 40
I. Introduction
[ad lib transition from worship music...] we're in the midst of our series, Chasing Peace. And here's what we know so far:
- Peace is never a product of our circumstances.
- Peace is always a by-product of pursuing godly character.
Our guide for the pursuit of godly character in this series is Proverbs 6:16:
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
And we know that the reason God hates these things is because he loves us. He hates these things because he hates what these things do to us, the damage they cause to us and, through us, to others. He hates these things because they're peace-killers. So if we want to experience peace, what we need to do is pursue the opposite of these things, and today we're tackle the opposite of feet that are quick to rush into evil.
Which is an interesting thing to say, isn't it. I mean, I would think God hates feet that take us into evil no matter how fast they get us there, right? But the emphasis here is on the speed. In the original Hebrew and in the English, there are two fast words...and you don't really need both words, do you? You could say God hates feet that rush into evil...but it says he hates feet that are quick to rush into evil. The emphasis is on the speed. He's really talking about impatient feet.
It might also help to know that the Hebrew word for evil - ra'a - doesn't just mean sin or wickedness. I think we see the word ''evil'' and naturally think ''moral evil'' or sin or wickedness, but the Hebrew word here is pretty broad...it includes sin and evil but it also includes disasters and others bad circumstances. And when we understa ...
Series: Chasing Peace
Craig Smith
Psalm 40
I. Introduction
[ad lib transition from worship music...] we're in the midst of our series, Chasing Peace. And here's what we know so far:
- Peace is never a product of our circumstances.
- Peace is always a by-product of pursuing godly character.
Our guide for the pursuit of godly character in this series is Proverbs 6:16:
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
And we know that the reason God hates these things is because he loves us. He hates these things because he hates what these things do to us, the damage they cause to us and, through us, to others. He hates these things because they're peace-killers. So if we want to experience peace, what we need to do is pursue the opposite of these things, and today we're tackle the opposite of feet that are quick to rush into evil.
Which is an interesting thing to say, isn't it. I mean, I would think God hates feet that take us into evil no matter how fast they get us there, right? But the emphasis here is on the speed. In the original Hebrew and in the English, there are two fast words...and you don't really need both words, do you? You could say God hates feet that rush into evil...but it says he hates feet that are quick to rush into evil. The emphasis is on the speed. He's really talking about impatient feet.
It might also help to know that the Hebrew word for evil - ra'a - doesn't just mean sin or wickedness. I think we see the word ''evil'' and naturally think ''moral evil'' or sin or wickedness, but the Hebrew word here is pretty broad...it includes sin and evil but it also includes disasters and others bad circumstances. And when we understa ...
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