Proverbs 2:18 For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead.
God said, “You are a dead man!” What an overwhelming and frightening thing to hear from God. A loud, direct, and plain statement that would shake anyone to the very core of one’s being. How do you respond to such a clearly defined statement from God Himself? Gen. 20:3 But that night God came to Abimelech in a dream and told him, “You are a dead man, for that woman you have taken is already married!”
This is not being said by some B actor in a B movie. When God says, “You are a dead man,” you have to take it seriously because the only place to run is to God Himself. Talk about being divinely positioned between a rock and a hard place. Someone might say, “I thought God was all love, peace, and joy.” God is love, but He is also the God of the universe who is judge and Lord of all creation.
In Abimelech’s defence he did not know Sarah was married to Abraham and through circumstances found himself in this very precarious situation with God. Abimelech did what so many of us do on a regular basis in our everyday lives; he acted on an assumption. When we accept an assumption as true, then we easily buy into the conclusion the assumption presented. Abimelech is about to experience something Richard Rohr said: “Before the truth sets you free, it tends to make you miserable.” But Lord, I did everything right according to my paradigm of what right is. I believe God calls this self-righteousness.
As odd as it sounds we do come into this world having to face death and our mortality. From day one we are dead men walking until we accept Jesus as the Lord of our life. Col. 2:13 You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
So much of the misery experienced by man is because we do not accept or obey what God says to do in life. As the word of God says, “If you abide in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” However, we must submit to the truth the Lord is offering us at the time of need.
There may be some hard times getting to the freedom truth brings because of the mental gymnastics we have to process in order to change our thinking toward what God says is truth. Rom 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Eph. 4:23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. There is literally a need for a paradigm shift in our mind, heart, and attitude toward God and His directions for our life.
So much of the misery experienced by man is because we do not accept or obey what God says to do in life. As the word of God says, “If you abide in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” However, we must submit to the truth the Lord is offering us at the time of need.
There may be some hard times getting to the freedom truth brings because of the mental gymnastics we have to process in order to change our thinking toward what God says is truth. Rom 12:2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Eph. 4:23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. There is literally a need for a paradigm shift in our mind, heart, and attitude toward God and His directions for our life.
Those of us who have accepted Christ as savior are blessed to have a different proclamation over our lives, rather than “You are a dead man.” We do not have to walk the path that leads to eternal death. Prov. 2:18 For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead. We get to hear, “Well done faithful servant.” Matt. 25:23 His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’
We have been given a reprieve on eternal death because of our faith in the finished work of the cross and the blessed blood of the Lord Jesus which covers all of our sins ever committed. We are no longer dead men walking. We are the blessed and living children of the most high God. Thank you, Lord God, for your goodness toward us.
We have been given a reprieve on eternal death because of our faith in the finished work of the cross and the blessed blood of the Lord Jesus which covers all of our sins ever committed. We are no longer dead men walking. We are the blessed and living children of the most high God. Thank you, Lord God, for your goodness toward us.
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