The Storm!

 

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh; he will pursue his foes into the realm of darkness. Whatever they plot against the LORD he will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. Nahum 1:2-9 NIV

There's a storm coming! Batten down the hatches and prepare to withstand the torrential winds of vengeance and hatred, with all the word salads flying about in the chaos that is bound to cause all sorts of destruction.

Twitter rants storming across cyberspace, buoyed by insecurities and hatred and incompetence.  Empty rhetoric designed to make people quake in fear, yet they are shaking and quaking with laughter that refuses to stay under cover of politeness and dignity.

"The fool, the fool," cry those watching the whirlwind of words that are a mockery of the "great mind" espousing "great words" that only only a limited third-grader would utter. And yet, those who refuse to see the truth beyond the clouds of emptiness keep up their rallying cries, thinking that's all they need to see a change in the pattern that's about to upend their lives forever.

"The lies, the lies," cry those who can see, but for some reason refuse to do anything to stop the turbulence rumbling closer to the surface and about to crack the earth wide open to expose all the hate and corruption created by a family of wannabes.

When all the corruption is exposed with all the players that stirred the pot of chaos and hate and disdain, then the world will watch the treasonous acts be paid in full and the cry heard will be the one urged against another, "Lock him up! Lock him up!"

And if people don't watch their backs, the cry will be, "Lock them up," and the house of cards in the heart of Washington, DC will collapse as Russia watches gleefully for the dust to settle and they can move in--tearing down any vestiges of integrity and honor that may have escaped to survive by bullying and derision, and if necessary--death by rebellious incursion.

The storm is coming folks and only those willing to know truth from fiction, resisting the alternative facts will survive the rumblings from all over--the Middle East and Asia to the Northern most points of Russia--calamity because the uneducated and ill-informed, and the pseudo-christians,  chose a mocker and enemy of God to govern in the White House.  The mocker who mocks the disabled and blasts cyberspace with lies against others, who cannot govern himself with even a modicum of discipline and this is why we are where we are--left to deal with the storm of stupidity.

Beware, be careful and be wise--prepare to survive the storm or be crushed in its path.

Mockers and Fools vs Wisdom and Knowledge!

The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1 NIV
A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them. Proverbs 14:3 NIV
The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. Proverbs 14:6 NIV
Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips. Proverbs 14:7 NIV

Looking at The Word through Solomon's insights, there really is no competition between the foolish and the wise. Wisdom trumps foolishness every time.

Wise people build--their houses with solid foundations that will endure the test of time and storms. Any foundation that is week and has not been properly shored up, will buckle and eventually cave in causing destruction to the whole house. And whenever there is a problem with the foundation, steps should be taken to make sure it stabilizes before it crumbles and falls.

The building principle is true of every aspect of our lives--we build relationships on solid foundations. We build careers on solid foundations and we build up our faith in God, on the solid foundation of The Word.

Pride speaks without thinking--not considering its ways or how what is said will affect the hearer. Pride doesn't care and since pride doesn't care--they are often revealed as fools. While the wise are careful to research and think before speaking, mindful that words carry impact and impact affects those who hear their words.

The mocker--those who mock others for whatever reason--seeks wisdom in all the wrong places and from the wrong people and therefore never obtain what he/she is seeking. But those who have knowledge and wisdom, easily discern what the fools never understand.

Solomon reveals the valuable lessons he's learned throughout the Proverbs and carried over into Ecclesiastes--the wisdom he gained from God who gives liberally and from making mistakes in his disobedience. He learned that wisdom never leads anyone astray, but a fool--will also find himself lost, without direction, never knowing right from left or up from down--when to stay and when to quit--when to speak and when to be quiet.

With all that Solomon has to say about fools--and there is quite a bit--we, who read The Word with understanding, are without excuse in recognizing a fool when we see or hear one. And if we are wise, we know to stay away from fools for there is no knowledge or wisdom in them and all they do--is mock others--because they have no foundational substance in the make up of their character.

Now, we need to think--before making a decision about what we've read--and determine where we are in the greater scheme of things. Are we in the camp of the wise or the foolish?