Opus 2018-150: Headlines: A Second Nut from the Same Tree

Sometimes I laugh at the liberals.  Sometimes I throw up my hands in despair.  I often get a bit angry.  Peter Fonda made me want to riot.  What an evil fool!  In case you missed it he Tweeted that the president’s son should be kidnapped and turned over to pedophiles.  And he is still walking the streets.  If he is willing to publicly say something like this against a man who can call the Secret Service and the FBI into action how would he be willing to act toward your child?

Has he been banned from all the best parties?  Have there been demonstrations outside his house?  Is he shunned by the Hollywood elite?  Are you holding your breath?

The take we need to get from this is Peter Fonda represents a large chunk of the Left.  That chunk is much bigger than we want to believe and the reality of it is nothing new.  Proverbs warns us about this reality.  It has always been with us.  Notice the second part of this verse,

(Proverbs 13:19 KJV)  The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but it is abomination to fools to depart from evil.

Keep in mind that the left would label Fonda the moral giant and give him the high ground because he is speaking against a president they hate.

Earlier in Proverbs Solomon tells us that we should seek wisdom.  Why?

(Proverbs 2:12-15 NAS77)  To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness; Who delight in doing evil, And rejoice in the perversity of evil; Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;

Peter Fonda does not stand alone but he needs to be sitting alone, in a jail cell.

homo unius libri

Opus 2017-165: Middle Class Morality: Saving, Not Spending

We live in an affluent age.  Americans live in a culture that takes a massive amount of wealth just to provide the basics.  That is in relation to the rest of the world and even more so to history.  I don’t get too concerned when I hear about the poor people of the world living on $300 dollars a year.  The part most people don’t hear is that they are living on it.  And in their circumstances they might be doing quite well.

How can this be?  If you have no utility bills, grow your own food and don’t pay taxes, how much do you need to live in a third world country?  Obviously it would not get you through the week in Washington D.C.  Many today can spend that much at dinner.  The point is to live within your means.

The Bible gives us the concept of moderation and thrift. 

(Proverbs 21:17 KJV)  He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

The reference to oil may go over your head.  They did more than mix it with balsamic vinegar to put on their salads.  They used it as a lotion and anointed their heads with it.  It was medicinal.  The rich would use large quantities for extravagant purposes.  Lots to drink and lots of massages can make Jack a poor boy.  Today with credit cards we face the same temptation.  Middle class Americans use to drive used cars and pass clothes down to their children.  It was a Biblical concept.

Another aspect of delayed gratification is leaving something for your children.

(Proverbs 13:22 KJV)  A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

The name of the game in Middle Class America is not to die when your last cent is spent.  It is not to drive a giant RV with a bumper sticker saying, “We’re spending our children’s inheritance”.  Middle Class Morality says you are building for the future.  That is why old people plant fruit trees and invest in long term stocks and bonds.

I can’t give you the source but John Wesley was reported to have said, “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”  Of course he was also reported to live on £20 a year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-473: Monday Pulpit: Sources of Poverty, part 12 of ?, Lack of Justice

We eventually come to the one source of poverty that is so heralded today, injustice.  It does not come through well in the KJV,

(Proverbs 13:23 KJV)  Much food is in the tillage of the poor: but there is that is destroyed for want of judgment.

That could be interpreted to mean bad decisions by the farmer.  It is better in the NASB.

(Proverbs 13:23 NAS77)  Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice.

When you have a legal system that caters to those who can afford the long trials and expensive lawyers, common people get pushed out of the picture.  Think of a recent Supreme Court decision in Kelo v City of New London.  Cities were given the right to condemn any property they want if they think a change will generate more tax revenue for the city.  That is not a legal description, it is a common sense observation.  Think of the family in Colorado who bought an empty lot in the middle of a development and although it was surrounded by completed houses they were told it was wetlands and fined thousands of dollars a day for disturbing the soil on a lot they had legally bought for building a home.

In a free society people can do well if they are willing to work for it.  In Fascism, or crony capitalism as it is sometimes called, those without contacts in government or deep pockets are left in the dust of destitution. 

God condemns such actions.

So, yes, oppression is a source of poverty but keep in mind that most of the time it is being pushed by government collusion with big business or just by people in government who want to help you life right.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-418: Monday Pulpit: Sources of Poverty, part 11 of ?, Sin

I go back to a series I started about what makes people poor.  Another cause of poverty is sin. 

(Proverbs 13:25 KJV)  The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want

Sin is destructive.  It may be fun at the moment.  It may be cool.  It may feel good.  It will destroy you.  This is expanded in an often overlooked verse.

(Exodus 15:26 KJV)  And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.

Righteous living leads to a healthier life.  Sure, righteous people get sick.  So do rich people.   This is not a blanket guarantee that God’s people will never get sick.  It is a guarantee that God will not send the consequences of disobedience on His people.  Better health would seem to be a part of prosperity. 

S.I. McMillen makes the case in a book called None of These Diseases.  He goes into great detail about the physical infirmities that can be avoided by following the standards taught in the Bible.  I think the original is out of print.  I reread it in the third edition, referenced below.  I found that the rewriting had added a bit of political correctness but also a lot of startling statistics with footnotes for the research.  One of the startling statistics he gives in the new book comes from research done in Africa regarding the scourge of HIV.

“Uncircumcised men were up to eight times more likely to become infected with AIDS.” p. 75

I doubt if you will hear that on the evening news.  Maybe you need better sources of information.

.McMillen, S.I. and Stern, David E.  None of These Diseases.  Grand Rapids:
     Fleming H. Revell, Third Edition, 2000.

homo unius libri

Opus 2015-174: Monday Pulpit: Sources of Poverty, part 10 of ?, Refusing to Learn

How many times do you have hit your head before you learn to duck?

When I started wearing bi-focals I had a slow learning curve.  I repeatedly rammed my head on a low hanging garage door until I had a permanent lump that had to be removed surgically.  Really.  I know what it is to be a slow learner.

Some things cannot be removed surgically.  Some lessons we refuse to learn can keep us poor and “oppressed”.

(Proverbs 13:18 KJV)  Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.

People mired in poverty tend to keep doing the same things.  They do not learn from experience and failure.  How many babies does a woman with no husband need to have before she realizes where they come from?  How many days does a student need to sit doing nothing before admitting that failure is coming down the tracks?  How many times do you need to raise the minimum wage before you see that it means fewer jobs?

There are many causes of poverty.  Refusing to observe and learn will keep traps strong and healthy.

To be continued...eventually.

homo unius libri