Jump Start # 3127

Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Our verse is one of the many contrasts that makes the book of Proverbs such a loved and practical book. The wicked are contrasted with the righteous. Fleeing is contrasted with standing or remaining. Being afraid is contrasted with courage or boldness.

Now, why would the wicked flee if no one is pursing? They may believe someone is. They may believe that they are about to get into trouble because of the wicked choices that they have made. The wicked live on edge. Fearful, not trusting, never at ease or calm, that’s the life of the wicked. And, that image well defines where many are today. The news is bad. The economy is sinking. Flu. Covid. Now, monkeypox? Running scared. Nothing to hold on to. Nothing to believe. And, that is life without God. Without God, we are in charge and that’s scary. Without God there is no one to come to help us. Without God there is nothing sure, absolute and concrete.

Fearful people are always talking about the storms. They are running about like ole’ Chicken Little, believing the sky is falling. When one is fearful, you can’t count on them for anything. And, the greater the fear, the more one worries. And, worry has a way of chipping away any faith that we have left.

The righteous have nothing to fear. They are bold. They are like a lion. And, what makes the righteous this way, is the Lord. Their faith in the Lord assures them that all will be fine. That faith conquers worry and drives fear away. The righteous may not know all the answers to fix all the problems in the country, but their hope is not in the next election, nor, the court house, or the state house. Their hope is in God.

Imagine walking down the street and instead of walking your dog, you were walking a lion. You wouldn’t be afraid of anything. Snake jump out at you? Nothing to fear. The lion would get it. A mean dog? No problem, you’ve got a lion beside you. Bad guy? Stand aside and release the lion. That’s the righteous. Satan throws new ideas, innovations and theories that are far from the truth. The world doesn’t know what to believe. The world is overcome with these things. The wicked believes all of them. Not the righteous. A college professor with a mountain of PhD’s and an armful of research material doesn’t move the righteous at all. The righteous knows that God is right. The righteous is not intimidated by intellectualism, the arrogance of authors, nor the size of the crowd on the other side. That doesn’t mean anything. The righteous has God and the Lord is always right. Bold as a lion. Fearless. Courageous. Nothing to run from and nothing to hide from.

The game plan of the wicked is often to scream the loudest. The mob mentality scares many people. Some are more afraid of being politically incorrect with culture than they are being Biblically correct with God. Stand with God. Be bold. When Peter was told not to bring up the name of Jesus again, he said, “we cannot stop speaking what we’ve heard and seen.” Boldness. Courage. Fearless.

The wrong will always try to silence that which is right. This is not about politics, elections, economy, but about Biblical truth. The pages of our Bible are lined with the courageous. Moses’ parents were not afraid of the king’s edict. The three Jewish men in Babylon refused to bow down to the idol. Daniel would not stop praying when it was against the law. Bold as a lion.

Courage. Boldness. Fearlessness. Faith. It’s time for God’s people to be lions and not mice. It’s time to draw a line in the sand and say to our friends, co-workers and family, “That’s just not right with God.” Will they stop? Probably, not. Will they turn on you? Good chance. Will they pressure you? Yes. But that lion has nothing to fear. Error always finds ways to hide, twist things and switch subjects. Truth conquers.

Bold as a lion…remember that!

Roger

Jump Start # 2089

Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Our verse today is one of the many contrasts and comparisons found in Proverbs. Often, it’s the fool and the wise. Other times, like here, it’s the wicked and the righteous that are looked at side by side. The wicked flees. The wicked flees for no reason. No one is pursuing, but he’s running scared.

Why? It may be his conscience. He is wicked. He has done wrong. He fears getting caught. He is always on the run. He is always suspicious. He trusts no one. There is little rest and no peace for the wicked. Ruthless dictators have illustrated that. They distrust the very people they have chosen to surround them. So, one by one, he removes them. Many ancient kings, even in the Bible, assassinated and murdered their own family members, to prevent them from rising up and being rivals to the thrown. The 1930’s, when the FBI was just starting, many of the now famous bandits were gunned down as they fled from authorities. The life of the wicked is always on the run.

What a miserable life that is. Too often, using and abusing others to get what he wants and then having to flee when they have found out what has happened. The life on the run has do deep roots and no strong relationships. Some are this way with their jobs. They are always leaving one job for another. It’s not about career moves, money or opportunity, it’s because they have foolishly done wrong and they fear getting caught.

In contrast, there is the righteous. He does not fear. He does not flee. He is bold as a lion. There are few things if any that would make a lion run. His size, his presence as earned him the title, ‘the king of the jungle.’ The Wizard of Oz presented the cowardly lion. Those two expressions do not fit together. A lion is not cowardly. What the Oz lion was missing was “the nerve,” or, courage.

Bold as a lion in facing those who disagree. When truth is on your side there is nothing to fear. I’ve had people through the years present the idea of what if we are not right? What if when the world is over, we learn that there is no God? What if? Stand bold, Mr. Righteous. There is nothing to fear here nor flee from. There is too much proof, too much evidence, all around us for any other conclusion.

What if there are missing books of the Bible? What if we do not have the whole message? Stand bold, Mr. Righteous. Nothing to fear here. There is too much evidence and too much proof for any other answer.

Recently, I’ve heard some claiming that Jesus already came. They say He came in the year 70. Because of that there is no resurrection, no Heaven, we missed it all. I wonder why those that say that even worship, much less preach and take money from churches. But there’s nothing to fear here Mr. Righteous. Stand boldly like that lion. There is too much evidence and too much proof for any other conclusion that what the Bible plainly teaches.

Underling this contrast between the wicked and the righteous, between fleeing and standing bolding, is faith and courage. When one knows, one can stand. It’s the lack of faith that makes one weak and unsure. This is why the strong breeze of delusion is all it takes to get some off course. They read something in a book. They read a blog. They hear a friend boasting some stuff. Without strong faith, they begin to waver. They wonder. Could it be possible that they are right? And before you know it, they are fleeing. They leave what they once believed. They now dwell in the land of doubt.

The Ephesians were told to no longer be tossed here and there by the winds of false doctrine, by deceitful scheming, by craftiness of men. Stand firm. Grow up. Be mature in your faith. Those are the very things that gives us the courage like that lion.

When one knows truth, he knows what is right. He doesn’t have to know everything that is wrong to know what is right. He stands where God wants him to be. Courageous. Strong. Steadfast. Unmovable. Like a tree firmly planted with deep roots. The wicked is running here and there, always on the go, never accomplishing much of anything, but the righteous stays put. He stays with God. He knows. Nothing will move him.

He knows evolution isn’t true. He doesn’t have to be a scientist, he knows the word of God. He knows same-sex marriages are not right. He doesn’t have to swim in the cultural pool of ideology, what is fair, genetics and so forth. He knows the word of God. He stands, bold as a lion.

What is turning so many young people today to teachings that are not Biblical is a lack of strong faith. The very idea that “I am spiritual, but not religious,” comes from someone who lacks true understanding in God’s word. They will accept anything because it feels good, is different and is new. They are chasing the wind. They won’t stay with their new found insights for long. Soon, they will be off chasing something else. Always fleeing from the one thing that will give them meaning, purpose, and hope, the word of God.

So, we must continue to teach the word of God. Don’t back down from challenges, questions or those who want to throw darts at your faith. Hang in there. Stand your ground. Be bold. Be that lion. Remember Peter before the Jewish officials who ordered no more preaching in Jesus’ name. Peter preached. They recognized the boldness of Peter. He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t going to be pressured. Bold as the lion.

The wicked runs because they are not right. They have a lot of bark and a lot of volume but they lack proof, evidence and the support of God’s word.

We sing, “Stand up, stand up for Jesus.” There is nothing to be afraid of when you are standing with God.

Roger

Jump Start # 1314

Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when on one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

  Once again, we find an amazing contrast in Proverbs. The wicked contrasted to the righteous, and fleeing contrasted to remaining bold like a lion. There are great lessons for us to consider here.

The wicked are watching over their shoulder. They lived scared. They have done wrong and they know it’s wrong. They fear the long arm of the law catching them. They fear people finding out. So they are suspicious. They are nervous. They run when no one is after them. Their wicked ways will catch up with them sooner or later. What a terrible way to live. Not trusting others, always wondering who is watching them, or who may know what they have been up to. The sleep of the wicked isn’t pleasant nor sound. This passage is showing a look into the life of the wicked that is not glamorous, exciting and worth imitating. There is nothing good about being afraid.

The righteous are just the opposite. They are not running. They are holding their ground. They are brave. They fear nothing. They are like a lion. This may be for a couple of reasons. First, the righteous haven’t done anything wrong. They are innocent. There is nothing to fear. If a person is driving the speed limit and he see’s a police car parked along side of the road with his radar gun pointing at him, there is nothing to fear. The speeders hit their brakes and they drive under the speed limit until they are out of sight and then they resume their fast driving. Second, the righteous have truth on their side. Behind truth, is God. They don’t have to fear because they stand right with the Lord.

It seems as if the position of the wicked and the righteous are flip flopped. The wicked appear bold, unafraid and holding their position. They can be brazen in their defense of things that are wrong. They can be arrogant in their claims that God does not exist. Many evolutionary professors are this way. They appear bold as lions in their statements that natural evolution is proven and absolute. The crowd wanting same sex marriage can be very vocal, demanding and bold in their demands. Then it seems that the righteous cower in fear because of these loud, vocal and demanding wicked voices. This can happen even when dealing with folks who want to introduce ideas that are not true to the Scriptures. They want change. They can be bold, loud and vocal. The righteous often hide in fear. They may let them have their way because they don’t want to make a scene or open the door to controversy. Those who are not right continue to march their ways further and further away from God.

The answer is clear. It’s found in our passage. The righteous must be bold as a lion. When I think about lions, it’s the large male lion that comes to my mind. He doesn’t have to growl, his presence is enough. Those eyes. His size. The large mane around his head. Even behind bars at the zoo, he is still the king of the jungle. But when he does growl, he is heard. There is a pecking order in the jungle. The lion is at the top. You don’t ever hear of a zebra challenging a lion. Won’t happen. He’d be lunch for the lion in a very short time. The lion has a confidence about him.

This is what the Proverb writer is nailing down here. The righteous are bold as the lion. It doesn’t mean that the righteous have to be loud or offensive. It’s not the person, but the truth within the person that makes them bold.

Have you ever been asked, or even pondered within yourself, ’What if none of this stuff is right? What if God didn’t write the Bible? What if there is no Heaven or Hell?’ I’ve heard folks answer, ’even if it’s not right, I’ve lived the best life.’ Wrong answer. Give it some thought. It’s impossible. There is no way that this isn’t right. If God didn’t write the Bible, then who did? How did they do it flawlessly? How did they know things before they were discovered? How could there be such perfect unity and theme over all those many years? Why, if man wrote this, isn’t there any other book that even comes close to the Bible? No, can’t be. Impossible.

And once you come to that place, your confidence level surges. You may not understand all the things an evolutionary scientists claims, but there is one thing you do know, the Bible is right. You may not know why more people do wrong than right, but that doesn’t change what you know.

Bold as a lion with truth, not only drives fear out, it gives you an assurance that what you are doing is right. Being bold doesn’t give you the excuse to be mean, rude, ugly or unkind. Jesus never was. But it also means, in a calm tone, you hold your ground. You keep coming back to the passages in the Bible. When those who want to introduce things that are not Bible based, you stand your ground. They’ll complain. They’ll cry. They’ll plead. But what they don’t have is truth on their side. Stand your ground. Be bold.

Bold as a lion with truth, is how parents must be. Quit trying to be your child’s best friend, and simply parent. Point the way that is right. They will whine, plead, and cry for everything but what is right. You hold your ground because you are the one who is raising them God’s way.

Bold as a lion with truth, when Satan rings the doorbell of your heart. He tempts. He tries to pull you away. He tries to confuse you, discourage you and entice you to do anything but the things God wants. You stand your ground. Like that lion in the jungle, be bold. You know what God wants. Satan will try to get you to leave your marriage. He’ll give you an opportunity and an excuse, but you remain bold as a lion. Satan will try to get you to skip church services. He’ll give you an opportunity and an excuse, but you remain bold as a lion. Satan will try to get you to turn down the dial on God. He’ll give you an opportunity and an excuse, but you remain bold as a lion.

The wicked flee, but the righteous are bold as a lion. This will especially be true when we wrap up this life and must stand before the throne of God. The wicked will want to flee, but they won’t be able. The righteous look forward to being with God, not because they are perfect, but forgiven. By the grace of God, they stand. Their faith and their love for the Lord allows them to come boldly before the throne of grace.

Are you running or standing? Are you afraid or are you bold? Get with God and get on the right side of things and it changes everything. Bold as a lion…that’s where the righteous are.

Roger