The book of Proverbs is the book that is very adaptable to the needs of people today for it gives us heavenly wisdom for an earthly pathway. If you are not acquainted with the book of Proverbs, let me urge upon you an intense consideration of these wonderful truths that have been brought to us in a practical way in this book, and given to us by inspiration of the Spirit of God.
In chapter 30, we notice the reference to four evil generations. There is a series of four things in this chapter. Proverbs has a chapter for each day of the month, so you can time your studying with the days of the calendar.
"There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother." v. 11. This was observed a long time ago. But today, would you not agree that we have this manifested in a fuller sense than in any previous time? A generation that curseth their father. The father is the head of the house and he is the man with authority. Today we have an increase in the resistance and rebellion against God's ordained authority in the family and in the government and in the Church of God.
“A generation that curseth their father." We feel that ourselves; how we fret sometimes even when we are small and we, like to have our own way. There are two ways: the Lord's way, and then the way that we would like to have for ourselves because of these strong wills that are embedded in us. But it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. You can't even trust yourself. That is the reason that it tells us to trust in the Lord with all thine heart. Would you like to trust in the Lord with half of your heart, half-heartedly? We hold our reservations oftentimes and we do not wholly trust ourselves to the Lord and we miss those blessings that He has for us. We need to cast down reasoning and exercise the obedience of faith, and to accept God's Word without questioning it, without bringing in our own judgments about it.
This generation wants to break away from moral value, to be without restraint. Many prefer an independent life-style, actively pursuing the pleasures of this world which come to nothing. "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." What is vanity? It is a vacuum, that which is empty. Success, beauty, wealth... all that this world has to offer falls under this category. Like bubbles, they look bright and they float high, but they are not durable. They burst and are gone with nothing realized.
"There is a generation that are pure in their own eves and yet is not washed from their filthiness." This generation might say, "We are able to do something about our current problems; we can manage alright. We're capable. We'll present ourselves in a good light and everything will turn out fine." They are pure in their own eyes but God sees them through and through. He knows the depths of wickedness of the human heart, the source of all the evils that ever afflicted the human race. We don't blame God far it. Some complain and ask why God allows such suffering as is seen in this world. There are mental and physical handicaps, and if God were a God of love (they reason), He would not allow it.
If you have heard the Savior's voice and are born again, there should be no complaining about the weaknesses and faults of the human race which have come upon us as a result of sin. We never justify sin, but we can be thankful to God and His grace for sending His Son to be the Savior of the world so that we might be saved from sin and its consequences and brought into fullness of blessing. This blessing far surpasses any blessing that can be realized on the earth. This generation may be "pure in their own eyes," but they won't bear the searching of God's Word.
Once there was a lady who came into the hospital as a charity patient. As they were going through the x-rays, she inquired of the doctor as to what he had found. She was very anxious about this and the doctor said to her, "I found a lie on your heart." She didn't expect that answer from a medical man. He said, "I did. You came in here as a charity patient but we found a big billfold tied on you. It is full of big bills of money." Indeed he did find a lie on her heart. Men may discover our obvious sins; an x-ray may discover our physical problems but God's Word can do even more. It exposes us according to our needs before a holy and righteous God. It also tells us of a Savior that was willing to come into this world to save us from our sins. He gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world.
“Pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." Another word for filthiness would be corruption. In the days before the flood, two things filled the earth: corruption and violence. Both required God's judgment. God's judgment is coming again. Our Lord said on the way to the cross, "Now is the judgment of this world." The sentence has been passed but not executed. Shortly it will be, because our Lord is coming soon. When we are removed from this earth, the judgments will follow; they will fall in heavy, successive blows on this godless, Christ-rejecting scene. Be sure that you are not left behind for such a time.
“There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up. " Man's pride has introduced into the educational system the idea of undisciplined "free expression." The attitude was, "Oh, don't restrain a child; don't tell him to do this or that. Give him the opportunity of self-expression, or you might harm something in him. There is a beautiful little god inside just waiting to blossom out and become something that is very remarkable!" Well, that is a wrong basis for unleashing man's potential. The error has since been acknowledged and today there is a cry for more discipline in schools.
"There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives." Now we come to violence. Their purpose is to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. These are four bad generations. You might suggest that this doesn't apply to you. But, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." There is an increase of the violence that is in the world now and it is rising at an alarming rate. This is the mystery of iniquity that was already at work in the time of the apostles. It is an indication of the nearness of the coming of the Lord. The Lord will have to come back to straighten things out in this world. Men are not able to solve the problems that arise in these evil days, but the Lord will come back and will correct that which is wrong.
P. Geveden