Day 9/7 – Capricious Authority

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Capricious Authority
Day Two Hundred Fifty

“If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.” Ecclesiastes 10:4

God does not promise you that the authority He will place over your life will be good. Sometimes He puts you under the authority of rash people who are capricious in their behavior. When that happens, you must avoid two things: First, don’t become the slave of authority. You are solely the slave of God. Observe, inquire, and form opinions, but remember that you belong to Christ. Second, don’t despise your authority or rebel against the “system;” it is God¬ ordained. “There is no power but of God. The powers that be are ordained by God.”332

Wardlaw said, “The weak reed, by bending in a rough wind receives no hurt, while the sturdy oak is torn up by its roots.” When authority is brash and unreasonable, don’t resist it. Keep your mouth closed and God will quiet him down. “The Lord shall fight for you and you shall hold your peace.” 333 Solomon continues by suggesting that a wise person maintains objectivity and observes what is happening. It is difficult to place things in perspective during such times. Wisdom sees things as they are and responds properly rather than reacting.

Maintaining power over your spirit is a higher virtue than proving that you are right. You can only do this by remembering that God placed the authority over you and will not allow him to harm you.

332 Romans 13:1
333 Exodus 14:14

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Proverbs 1-2 1 Corinthians 16 (New King James Version)

Proverbs 1-2
The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2
To know wisdom and instruction,
To [a]perceive the words of understanding,
3
To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4
To give prudence to the simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5
A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will [b]attain wise counsel,
6
To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their riddles.
7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Shun Evil Counsel
8
My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9
For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
10
My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
11
If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait to shed blood;
Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;
12
Let us swallow them alive like [c]Sheol,
And whole, like those who go down to the Pit;
13
We shall find all kinds of precious [d]possessions,
We shall fill our houses with [e]spoil;
14
Cast in your lot among us,
Let us all have one purse”—
15
My son, do not walk in the way with them,
Keep your foot from their path;
16
For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
17
Surely, in [f]vain the net is spread
In the sight of any [g]bird;
18
But they lie in wait for their own blood,
They lurk secretly for their own lives.
19
So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners.
The Call of Wisdom
20
Wisdom calls aloud [h]outside;
She raises her voice in the open squares.
21
She cries out in the [i]chief concourses,
At the openings of the gates in the city
She speaks her words:
22
“How long, you [j]simple ones, will you love [k]simplicity?
For scorners delight in their scorning,
And fools hate knowledge.
23
Turn at my rebuke;
Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24
Because I have called and you refused,
I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,
25
Because you disdained all my counsel,
And would have none of my rebuke,
26
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your terror comes,
27
When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28
“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29
Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the Lord,
30
They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31
Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32
For the [l]turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33
But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be [m]secure, without fear of evil.”
The Value of Wisdom
2
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3
Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4
If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
6
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
8
He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
9
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
10
When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
11
Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
12
To deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks perverse things,
13
From those who leave the paths of uprightness
To walk in the ways of darkness;
14
Who rejoice in doing evil,
And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
15
Whose ways are crooked,
And who are devious in their paths;
16
To deliver you from the immoral woman,
From the seductress who flatters with her words,
17
Who forsakes the companion of her youth,
And forgets the covenant of her God.
18
For her house [n]leads down to death,
And her paths to the dead;
19
None who go to her return,
Nor do they [o]regain the paths of life—
20
So you may walk in the way of goodness,
And keep to the paths of righteousness.
21
For the upright will dwell in the land,
And the blameless will remain in it;
22
But the wicked will be [p]cut off from the [q]earth,
And the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.
Footnotes:
• Proverbs 1:2 understand or discern
• Proverbs 1:5 acquire
• Proverbs 1:12 Or the grave
• Proverbs 1:13 Lit. wealth
• Proverbs 1:13 plunder
• Proverbs 1:17 futility
• Proverbs 1:17 Lit. lord of the wing
• Proverbs 1:20 in the street
• Proverbs 1:21 LXX, Syr., Tg. top of the walls; Vg. the head of multitudes
• Proverbs 1:22 naive
• Proverbs 1:22 naivete
• Proverbs 1:32 waywardness
• Proverbs 1:33 at ease
• Proverbs 2:18 sinks
• Proverbs 2:19 Lit. reach
• Proverbs 2:22 destroyed
• Proverbs 2:22 land

1 Corinthians 16
Collection for the Saints
16 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 3 And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. 4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.
Personal Plans
5 Now I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia (for I am passing through Macedonia). 6 And it may be that I will remain, or even spend the winter with you, that you may send me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now on the way; but I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.
8 But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. 9 For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 And if Timothy comes, see that he may be with you without fear; for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do. 11 Therefore let no one despise him. But send him on his journey in peace, that he may come to me; for I am waiting for him with the brethren.
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brethren, but he was quite unwilling to come at this time; however, he will come when he has a convenient time.
Final Exhortations
13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done with love.
15 I urge you, brethren—you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints— 16 that you also submit to such, and to everyone who works and labors with us.
17 I am glad about the coming of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, for what was lacking on your part they supplied. 18 For they refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.
Greetings and a Solemn Farewell
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house. 20 All the brethren greet you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 The salutation with my own hand—Paul’s.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be [a]accursed. O[b] Lord, come!
23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Footnotes:
• 1 Corinthians 16:22 Gr. anathema
• 1 Corinthians 16:22 Aram. Marana tha; possibly Maran atha, Our Lord has come