Woodlawn Ev. Lutheran Church 

Pentecost 5

Proverbs 30:2-6 – The Master of Wind and Water Cares About You!

July 4-6, 2009 by: Pastor Wessel

 

Proverbs 30:2-6 – 2 "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding.  3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! 5 "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. 6 Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

 

Introduction – You may have heard that there is some serious talk about going back to the moon. Some think it would be a good idea to put people on the moon again, as our nation did 40 years ago. Only this time, some say, we should set up some permanent buildings there. Of course, the moon is our closest neighbor in this vast universe. We depend on it just as it depends on us. Beyond the moon, we have a fairly decent understanding of what our solar system is like, but no human being has ever been past the moon. Few human beings have ever left our planet.

            When you look up at the sky, beyond where the fireworks explode during the celebration of our nation’s independence, don’t you feel small? An astronaut in space can’t see us. We aren’t just lost in the crowd. In many ways, we are invisible and by most measurements, we are unimportant.

            You and I are small. Think of the disciples in the small fishing boat with Jesus during the storm on the sea of Galilee. Think of the Apostle Paul on the cargo ship in the storm on the Mediterranean Sea. Think of thoughts expressed by the writer of Proverbs 30. We are not in control of the wind and the water. We don’t move them; they move us. Ask someone from New Orleans what can happen when the levees don’t hold back the water like they’re supposed to. Think about what a large amount of water can do to a West Allis home. Ask anyone who has lived through a tornado or hurricane what damage powerful winds can cause. We are not in control of these forces of nature, try as hard as we might.

But God is in control. He is the Master of Wind and Water. Jesus’ disciples got to see with their own eyes that Jesus, God’s own Son, has gone up to heaven and come down and has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands and has wrapped up the waters in his cloak. He is all-powerful. But is God unapproachable? Is he unreachable? The Bible tells us that in a sense he is, if we try to understand him with science, if we try to limit him to our understanding. It can’t be done. We can’t determine how he can exist, where he exists, or why he exists. But as Christians, we believe that God revealed himself to us. He has approached us. He has reached us because we cannot come to him. Especially he did this through his Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit’s inspiration of the writers of God’s Word.

            So you can say with all confidence today:

           

The Master of Wind and Water Cares About You!

I. He Speaks His Word to You

II. He is a Shield for You

 

I. He Speaks His Word to You

            Without the Bible, what we know about God is very limited. We have a certain amount of natural knowledge which is common among all people around the world. It is found in nature and in the human conscience. It testifies that there is a force behind the universe, a Creator and that there are certain standards of human behavior, right and wrong. It was especially to this knowledge of God that the founders of our nation appealed as they set forth the principles of our democratic nation.

            It is this knowledge of God that the writer of Proverbs 30, a man named Agur, (that we know nothing about besides these words) looks to, and it humbles him: "I am the most ignorant of men; I do not have a man's understanding.  I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.” He recognizes the divine nature of God, that he is so much above and beyond our human understanding.

            Now some would say that because God is beyond our understanding, no one religion should claim to have the truth about God. But the writer of Proverbs 30 also says with conviction: "Every word of God is flawless.” He recognized that the Master of Wind and Water speaks to his people. And he does it through human language, through words. Because of the words God speaks to us, we no longer view God as nameless and faceless. He is not the fate or force running the universe that no one can understand. He is the God who cares deeply about you and me and his Word is truth.

            What is he concerned about? Well, he is concerned about your life and what you do with your life. That is why he has given his commands, so that we can live according to his will and follow his standard for behavior. His commands tell us what it means to be holy, fully dedicated to God each day.

            But, sadly, his commands put before us impossible goals that we cannot achieve. They tell you to forgive as God has forgiven you, unconditionally. They tell you to keep your body and your mind free from impure thoughts about other people. They tell you to love the Lord your God and serve him only.

            When you combine those commands with what we know of our all powerful God, you and I would have every reason to live in constant fear that this all powerful God will just have enough of us one day and say that’s it; time’s up! Well, the world will come to an end one day and for many, it will be a horrible day, when the Master of Wind and Water comes and those who have lined themselves up against him will face their final sentence.

            But you don’t need to be afraid of today or tomorrow or the end of the world. Fear disappears when the flawless truth of God’s word speaks clearly the message of hope through Jesus Christ. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, God says, “For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.” (Romans 8:3) That means you have been rescued! The wind blows, the water come crashing, but you are safe! Jesus says, “Be still!” The same mouth that calmed the wind and water for the disciples is here to calm your soul with his Word. To you he says, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” No other religion can offer you such comforting and reassuring words through your Savior, Jesus Christ.

            The Word of the Almighty declares: “You are not guilty!” That judgment is not made on the basis of your own goodness. It is not made on the basis of your own lack of knowledge. It is made because of the cross of Jesus Christ. The flawless Word of God. The Son of God conceived the Spirit and born of Mary loved you so much, he would not let you suffer punishment for your sins, so he suffered the punishment for you. Your obligations are gone – God’s law has been fulfilled by the perfect life of Jesus Christ and God’s justice satisfied by the innocent death of Christ.

            So the Master of Wind and Water is not your enemy.  You don’t need to be afraid of him. Amazingly, the power that he has, he uses for your good. Hear his powerful word when he says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver you and you will honor me.” Let his words comfort you when you lose your job. Let his promise to be with you always soothe your anger and frustration when your life seems out of your control. Let his sacrifice for you remind you that you are valuable to God, no matter what may be going on.

 

II. He is a Shield for You

            You and I are not victims of circumstance. Fate and karma do not determine where our life is going to go. The Master of Wind and Water has spoken to you, citizens of the US and more importantly, citizens of the Kingdom of God. He says through the Apostle Paul, “Having believed, you were marked in [Christ] with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” (Ephesians 1:13, 14) You belong to God and he guarantees he will work in your life for your good.

            The writer of the Proverb recognizes that as well when he says, “[God] is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” A shield is used to defend against danger. When police enter into very dangerous situations, they may use bulletproof shields. In ancient times, shields protected against arrows and against slashes and jabs from swords.

            Why would you need a shield? When would you need to hide behind God so you can have a place of safety? Finding refuge behind your Shield does not mean that you isolate yourself from people. It doesn’t mean going into your room and locking your door to keep all the bad things out. A Shield is for defense, but it is used by someone who is fully engaged in combat.

            We are engaged in combat, primarily with our sinful nature, which tempts us to go along with the false teachings promoted in our world. We are tempted to go along with the notion that marriage is manmade and can be restructured and reengineered to fit the values of the 21^st century. We are tempted to think that life is only valuable if it is useful to us. We are tempted to think that people can achieve inner peace by living a good life of serving others, no matter what their belief in God might be. All of these temptations are like bullets being shot at us constantly and unless we have a Shield to protect us, we will be hurt.

            In a very practical sense, having God as our Shield is really no different than having the power of his Word to protect us. It is really no different than having our protecting God use his power and his angels to defend us against all temptation and evil. When the devil tempted Jesus, what did Jesus use to fight him off? He used the Word of God before which the devil has to shrink in fear.

            Knowing that Go is your Shield and refuge is especially encouraging when you know that the bullets have gotten through and you brought shame to God , when you said, “Why not?”, instead of, “How can I do such great wickedness and sin against God?” God’s Shield protects you when your guilt is unbearable . No temptation can penetrate the Shield of the gospel. The message of Christ crucified and risen from the dead can’t be shattered, so all the bullets of temptation fall to the ground, unable to hurt us. In Christ, your sin, your guilt, God’s punishment, is gone. Any time you doubt any of this, go back to God’s own Word for refuge and find peace. You are safe with Jesus Christ.

 

Conclusion – We thank God today that the Master of Wind and Water has protected us from many storms in our United States of America. Throughout our 233 years as a nation, we have struggled to hold on to the convictions set forth in the Constitution. We recognize the value in allowing the free exercise of religion and not making a government sponsored religion. That always leads to trouble. We also thank God, though, that we can share openly our conviction that the Bible is God’s Word, that it is the truth about who God is and what he has done for us. The Master of Wind and Water cares deeply about you and your life here in the U.S. Trust him with your life and rejoice that each day he offers you peace in the name of Christ. Amen.