“The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.”
                    –Proverbs 29:27 (NIV)
——————————–
One of the peeves towards the top of my list are those with the Peter Pan Syndrome.  Play, play, play, never grow up.  These are people so often written about in Proverbs as the fool or simpleton.  They don’t want to accept responsibility but want to sit on the couch with their phones or playstations.  Let the world drift by, and then clamor that they are not being treated right.  If something happens to them, they come unglued, cry and whine, then don’t know what to do saying that life is so unfair–boo hoo hoo hoo.
     The writer of Hebrews has some direct words for these types.

          “We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
                   –Hebrews 5:11-14 (NIV)

When asked, “why do you go to church?” at the top of the list is either fellowship or the “worship” service.  While both are important and needed, there is little hunger for the doctrinal teaching of Scripture.  “Theology divides” they clamor, yet what is “theology” but the study of God.  Shouldn’t we long for more knowledge of the Almighty?  If discussion is brought up about righteousness or sanctification almost immediately is the chant–“legalism”.  Listen!  Righteousness is not legalism!  Sanctification is not legalism!  “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after what?  Righteousness!  You cannot discern proper worship without a righteous hunger in the heart.  Ray Stedman made an interesting yet vital statement, “There is a cloud of threat hanging over people due to their immaturity.”
     Woe unto us if there is not growth in the church and in the individual.  Woe unto the family if proper spiritual nourishment and food is not provided.  Woe unto the individual if they do not partake of what is offered, taste, digest, and grow.  We are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Hold on–that is legalism!  Read again, Philippians 2:12.  Three things I have come to see within those who are immature, childish, babies in the church.  I borrowed some from Ray Stedman though I have already seen these in action.  
     For a fact–age alone does not produce maturity!  I had a student one time ask if I thought he was an adult, a mature person.  My response was, “do you accept responsibility?”  He put his head down and walked away.  I might add that he is doing quite well now, and is approaching thirty.  Look around you at all the childish behavior that we see in so-called adults.  They are adults only in age, not in doing what is required of them, of fulfilling their obligations of life and before God.  I completely understand Paul’s frustration with Mark and not wanting him along on the second journey.  Time, age, never brings maturity unless one understands that maturity is accepting responsibility and fulfilling one’s purpose in life.
     Another characteristic that we see is that immaturity is self-identifying.  Fool!  Look at what the Bible says about fools and what happens to them.  We read the above verses from Hebrews and we see that these people have been Christians long enough that they should be teaching others.  Instead, they still suck at the bottle.  “They do not understand the divine program which results in right conduct, because they are themselves children and want only milk.” (Stedman)  They do not have the ability to discern good from evil.  There is a dangerous cloud looming over their heads.  They are, what Dr. Stedman refers to as “consecrated blunderers.”  These are the church-hoppers, ones who go from church to church, looking for a ministry that will make them feel good and satisfy their itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3).
     Finally, we see as we continue to watch them that their arrested development is a very costly thing.  You can call it spiritual atrophy.  Their parts have not developed properly, they cannot handle the weapons of our warfare, they do not wear the armor properly and thus are not able to stand their ground.  They run from hither to that doctrine, not knowing that it is false.  Jude warns us what happens, they “follow natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” (vs 19)  In fact the Book of Jude is a good book to look at if you want to see what happens to those who pamper themselves and stay as children.  Listen, “the immature lose so much, and they risk even more.” (Stedman)  Candy-bars for breakfast, ice cream for lunch, and cake for supper do not cut it in the real world, and even less in the spiritual fight that we are involved in on our journey.
     How frustrated Paul must have been when he wrote the church at Corinth.  “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” (1 Corinthians 3:2, NKJV)  “Even now”…what an indictment!  Look again at Hebrews 5:24 this time from the NKJV:  “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”  In other words–act your age!  

                    –Max Brand  (The Untamed)

       “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.”
                    –Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)
—————————
We see two people here in Proverbs 10:10–the winker and the chatterer.  I want us to look at several versions for it will help us to see what is being said in this verse.

          “He who winks with the eye causes trouble, But a prating fool will fall.”  (NKJV)
          “Whoever winks the eye causes trouble, and a babbling fool will come to ruin.”  (ESV)
          “He who winks maliciously causes grief, and a chattering fool comes to ruin.”  (NIV)
          “People who wink at wrong cause trouble, but a bold reproof promotes peace.” (NLT)

Let me say this regarding the NLT.  The second part seems to be a poor translation for the actual Hebrew translation reads, “babbling fools fall flat on their faces.”
     Here we see a contrast of two wicked people.  One is the winker, the other is the prater or chatterer.  Both of these are evil in their intent, and as Bob Beasley points out, “At the foundation of a conspiracy to do evil is our enmity with God.”  Those with these characteristics are sly or clowns.
     The person who winks with the eye has evil intent.  They are trying to convey one thought while in their heart they are conniving to do evil.  When a person says something then winks it means they do not mean what they say; it is in jest.  They insinuate one thing but really mean another.  Oh, how much we need people of integrity.  People who are honest and say what they mean and mean what they say.  The one who winks loses all credibility.  This person causes malicious grief to others, and they do it with a smile.  It was said of Philip II of Spain that his smile and his dagger were never far apart.  Beware of the “winker.”
     Have you ever been to a business meeting or heard a politician drone on and on.  That is the prater or chatterer.  I like the way the ESV puts it, “a babbling fool.”  On and on they go, and say nothing.  Think of the politicians we have.  They never mean what they say, so not only are they a babbler but they wink, hoping to win you over with their lies.  Ask them a question and they will bring out a spiel but say nothing.  I will bring up the Congresswoman who was recently asked about U.S. involvement in Taiwan should they be attacked.  She showed forth her babble and portrayed the fool to a tee.
     The babbler is always talking, mouthing off, but saying little, if anything of value.  This person is what J. Vernon McGee says, “Is wise in his own conceit.”  Thinking they know it all they show that they know nothing.  These are the ones in meetings that ask the same questions over and over never coming to an understanding of what has been said.  These are the people who like nothing better than to hear themselves talk.  You know the type.  The babbler is the fool who despises wisdom, which we have already seen earlier in Proverbs.  He will fall victim to his own folly; they will only hurt themselves.
     We are not only to guard the truth, we are to speak it.  Someone used the following acronym that might help us recognize a person of character or a prating fool.  F.I.T. — Faith, Integrity, Trust.  These are the ingredients of a God-honoring, God-fearing individual.

Never give up to the desert or to any of its minions!  Never cease to fight!  You must fight to live–an’ so make that fight equally for your mind an’ your souls!”

                    –Zane Grey  (Wanderer of the Wasteland)

 

       “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”

                    –2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (NIV)

——————————-

     Beware as you travel in the wilderness of nature’s traps.  There may be sinkholes and other hidden obstacles.  Watch your step as you could stumble and fall into a pit.  Maybe it has already happened to you as it did to Pilgrim when he fell into the Slough of Despond.  When one is not paying attention to their steps or when one gives over to the dark days of depression, not caring if you survive, much less go on, is a terrible pit to fall into.  Perhaps there have been friends or family who have turned on you–often that is a hard pit to crawl out of, so you just decide to lay there, accepting your situation, and rot.  You may have tried, but not, finding yourself in the wilderness, you are in shock.  Your shoulders start to droop, your head bows, and you struggle to stand as your knees begin to falter.  You have fallen into a deep, dark pit of despair.

     The pit where you find yourself might not be real as in the case of Joseph, but it is just as deep as dark as his.  Imagine him sitting in the darkness.  What were his thoughts?  I’m sure they rambled all over the place.  Surely the question, “Why” came to his mind.  Perhaps, “Will my brothers really kill me?”  Imagine the despair and thinking of the hate his brothers had for him.  “How could they be so cruel?” might be another question.  His mind must certainly have been in a whirl, sitting in that dark pit–a pit of despair.

     It would not be Joseph’s only venture in the wilderness.  He found himself in other various pits during his life.  His wilderness wastelands varied, but they continued throughout his life.  Perhaps, even while second in power as vizier of Egypt where he lived in luxury, he may have wondered in the wilderness of thoughts–“Why, why, why?”  But he did not live in despair even in the piit.  He proclaimed that God meant it for good while others meant it for evil.

     The key to Joseph’s survival is threefold:  he learned to understand the wilderness, he never forgot to serve the Lord, and he knew that the Lord had a special purpose for his life.  He understood that he would have to survive the physical ordeal, the mental anguish, and the spiritual low.  Mentally and spiritually he would have to fight.  He understood that he must keep his mind active, that he must continue to worship the One that would never leave him alone in the dark pit, or the prison cell, or the despair of the dungeon.  He may not understand the “why” of the circumstances, but he never let an experience defeat him.  In his situation he continued to serve, not only God, but his fellow man, and I am sure he was in constant prayer.

     Take a minute to consider Reuben.  Yes, there was a bit of heroism, though not much, when he stopped the brothers from killing Joseph, and he even had thoughts of rescue.  We read in Genesis, “And Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him’–that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.” (37:22, NKJV)  He was the oldest, why didn’t he stop them and put an end to their vindictiveness?  Was he afraid?  Had fear thrust him into his own special wilderness?  Imagine his thoughts for the next several decades; he surely had those continual, nagging questions:  “Why didn’t I stop them?”, “Where is Joseph?”, “Did he die; is he a slave somewhere?”  Reuben must have been tortured in his mind.  He faced the torment of a wasteland that could have destroyed a lesser man.  How did he survive?  Was there always the hope hidden somewhere that he might see Joseph again; did he think of the dream Joseph shared with his brothers, or had that hope gone as well?  Even though robust, someone who had the look of a man who controlled his problems, he was actually a man with a hollow soul.

      Joseph moved from pit to pit, but God was always faithful.  Even in the midst of the deepest pit, Joseph always realized that he was never alone.  He let God deal with the situations that were beyond himself.  When his family, years later, came to Egypt facing a wilderness of famine, he was able to save them.  And God, being merciful, allowed Reuben to see his brother that he allowed to be thrown into the pit, and was brought out of his peculiar wilderness and allowed to hope again.

 

(taken from Trails in the Wilderness)