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August 15: Like the Men of Issachar

It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. ~Ecclesiastes 7:5-6 


The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore, God gave them over, in the sinful desires of their hearts, to sexual impurity and the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator—who is forever praised. Amen. ~Romans 1:18-25 

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. ~2 Timothy 4:3-4 

I believe, and I am not alone, that we are living in those days. Sadly, it’s not just something that we can observe and say it is, “them.” In truth, it is also, “us,” in the Church. It is a difficult task we have been given, to guard the truth today. Even we can be tempted to follow preachers and leaders who say what we want to hear. We would rather have what we think we know affirmed than to learn that we have been wrong and have to turn around. 

We see speakers on TV. Who must be right because they have a large following! And they are sooooo convincing! They know how to say it just right! Their following too often consists of those who do not check what they are hearing and seeing against what God actually says in His Word. “It is better to heed a wise man’s rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.” “Therefore, God gave them over, in the sinful desires of their hearts, to sexual impurity and the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” “Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools.” It’s loud, but a poor source of sustaining heat for cooking.

“Men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…” (1 Chronicles 12:32), joined David’s army. Admittedly, this is an obscure part of a verse, but it has an important message. Like the men of Issachar, we need to know our times, not to be afraid of them, but to know what to do. The men of Issachar understood that God’s favor had left Saul. They understood that David had also been anointed king and that God was with him. So, in their wisdom, they made what probably looked like a treacherous decision at the time, to leave Israel’s army, led by Saul, to Join David even though he was living like a fugitive among the Philistines. They were basically swimming against the tide. 

Fools, and foolish thinking are all around us today. Much of it is appealing to our hearts. God will not force us to go His way. He will “give us over, to our heart’s leading” if that is what we truly want. I have witnessed several dear friends in the ministry do this and it is painful and sobering to see. They preferred the song of fools to the wiseman’s rebuke, and, at this point, prayer for them is the only way to care for them. Would something about the Sirens who called to the sailors be worth mentioning here? We need to be careful that we are not drawn away by the song of fools. 

It’s so tempting to let go and let others think what they want as long as they leave us alone. It’s attractive to be drawn where it looks like the fun is. Who wants to hear a word of rebuke or correction when there is fun to be had? This does not mean don’t have fun, but it does mean don’t let your attraction to fun draw you away from the truth, from the seriousness of our situation today. 

“The joy of the Lord is our strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) It goes much deeper than the song of fools, to the core of our being. The world’s situation is a serious one. The balance we need to find is how to be winsome and wise, joyful and just, and always keep in mind the Biblical truths so that we are not drawn away into heresy or complacency, but the church has always struggled with finding this balance as well. The letters of 1, 2, & 3 John and the letters to the churches in chapters 2 & 3 of Revelation all deal with heretical teachings that were drawing the new believers away from the real truth of the Gospel. Satan is always tempting us to find an easier life. He is a good “singer,” the most dangerous siren of all. We need to guard our hearts and understand the times like the sons of Issachar. 

Prayer: Oh Lord give me a discerning heart to hear the difference between Truth and falsehood and not be deceived by clever arguments or emotional drawing power. Help me to tune out the siren songs that appeal to my sinful nature, I want to live by the spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Song: A Love for the Truth 



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