Proverbs 29:2 Reverse Tide
We see again that the rise and fall of many hearts is tied to the tide of wickedness. Today we look at the reverse tide. It’s the righteous who lead off.
I have a feeling that verses 28:28-29:2 probably belonged together. If I would have read ahead and paid close attention I might have noticed before sitting down to ponder 28:28 alone. But I saw division marks and let that point me in a different direction. I’m going to say that if God REQUIRED the three verses to be considered together, HE would have seen to it that it happened that way for me too. Since He didn’t, let’s see where His Spirit takes us on this final of the trio I missed.
The first thing I thought when I read today’s verse was, “Did I do this one already?” I looked back to verse one and realized that, no, I am at a new place today. But the theme is identical and so is the meaning. Yet, this verse states it in reverse of 28:28. The first verse starts with a focus on the wicked.
“When the wicked rise, people hide themselves” (Proverbs 28:28a). We looked back at Elijah and the wicked time he lived in. We also looked at the direction our world is headed in right now. Evil, wicked, lawlessness, worldliness is rising up like the tide. Stand too close and you will be swept away by it.
Today, we start with the righteous. “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice” (verse 2a). The tide is turned and the wickedness is being pulled back into the pit where it came from. I almost said, “from whence it came”. That’s the poet in me coming out. Back on track now.
What finally came to my mind with reading this ‘reverse tide’ section is the anticipation I feel for the day that is coming. Yes, there have been times in history when the governments turned in their attitudes and wickedness was pressed down. There were several kings of Judah who exemplified this very proverb, but their rule didn’t last. Just like the ocean’s tide, evil rose again. THERE IS A DAY WHEN THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN! That is the day that was brought to my mind. The promise I want to look at today.
I’m sure there are millions of people holding onto that same hope with me right now. We see the tide of evil rising; threatening to wash away everyone and everything that is good. We see people we love who ‘get a bit too close’ and ‘redefine’ what is evil so they can partake without feeling guilty or even realize that they have taken that treacherous step.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21).
But look a little farther ahead with me; with those who refuse to become one of the ‘woe brigade’. Those who hold fast to the hand of God and wait for the tide of evil to be pulled back. We see this promise in the Revelation God gave John. For this world, ‘high tide’ begins when the Spirit of the Lord is removed from the earth. When the Bride of Christ, the church, is taken to a protected place of waiting; the Rapture. There will be those who recognize they were ‘left behind’ and the reason for it. They will be the ones who will turn to the Lord, even in the midst of GREAT evil. Many will surrender their physical lives and inherit eternal life during this time. They will die rather than take the Mark of the Beast; Satan.
This ‘high tide’ endure for 7 ½ years. THEN will come the beginning of the push back into the sea; ‘reverse tide’. Jesus Himself will descend from Heaven on a white horse to wage battle against the armies of Satan. There will remain NOTHING of Satan’s armies once Jesus is finished.
Satan himself will be brought before Jesus and stand judged. He will watch as his two chief servants will be thrown alive into Hell. He will stand powerless as ALL the birds of the air feast on the bodies of those who served him. And finally, he will himself be bound in chains and thrown into a bottomless pit. It will be sealed over him and he will remain here for 1,000 years.
As AMAZING as this event will be, it won’t be the last time the ‘tide’ changes. Satan will be released after his 1,000 years in the pit are completed.
Between these two times, righteousness rises. The people will rejoice in it. But man is still a fallen creature. Those who have moved into this time without tasting death will continue on in their human condition. There will come times when man tries to rise up in evil again. But Jesus Himself will sit on the throne of this world and He will rule it with a rod of iron. Evil will NOT be allowed to overwhelm man during this time.
When Satan is released from his chains he will again lead some away. We ae not told how long this time will last but we do KNOW the outcome of it. IT WILL END IN SATAN’S DEFEAT AGAIN. After this defeat comes the final judgment of ALL. This is when ALL sin is wiped away, as ALL who have not been reborn into life with Christ Jesus will join Satan in the depths of Hell; NEVER to rise again or escape torment. A new Heaven and a new Earth will be created for those who are the Lord’s. This new Heaven and new Earth will never have known or will know sin.
As BEYOND IMAGINATION as this final Home is to my mind, the one that captured my thoughts today was the NEXT change in ‘tide’. For this one is on our horizon. The signs are all around us. My heart is expecting to hear His call any day. But NO MATTER HOW LONG it is before we hear that call, STAND FIRM in the knowledge that it WILL happen. Be ready at all times. Work like it’s a long way away while living like it’s tomorrow.
I know there will be some of you who don’t believe in the same chronicle of events that I do, but that’s ok. As long as you are living for the Lord and have Jesus as your Savior, whatever He decides to do, you are safe in His arms. If you believe you will be required to walk half way or even all the way through ‘high tide’, HOLD FAST and DON’T reject His help when it comes.
The story of the man in a flood comes to mind. As the flood waters begin to rise, a man is standing in his home looking out the window. A row boat bumps up against the house. From the boat another man calls out to him. “Get in the boat.”
The man refuses. He answers his rescuer, “God will save me.” The man in the boat shakes his head and pushes off and continues on his way.
Hours later the man has been driven by the rising water to the second story of his home. He hears the sound of a motor and he is drawn to the window. The owner of a power boat sees him at the window and hurries over to help. “Get in the boat” he calls as he brings it just under the window.
The man steps back from the window. “No. God will save me” he replies. After a few minutes of back and forth, the power boat slips away in search of others in need.
More time passes and the rain continues to fall. The man has been driven to the peak of his roof by the rising flood waters. A helicopter has been braving the storm to look for any last survivors. He spots the man on his roof. With the wind buffeting the helicopter and the pilot fighting for control, a rescuer drops a rope ladder out the door. “Grab hold” he calls. “I’ll pull you up!”
The man shakes his head and tucks his hands under his arms. Confused, the rescuer calls out to him again with no better result. With the third call from the rescuer the man on the roof grabs the ladder before him and violently throws it away from him. He finally shouts above the noise; “NO! The Lord will save me!” The rescuer signals the pilot to go on. There is nothing they can do here for the man refuses help.
Rain continues to pelt the area and the waters rise even higher. Finally the man finds himself standing before the Lord. He is confused, so he asks the question that is burning in his mind. “Why didn’t You save me?!”
“I sent you a row boat, a motor boat and a helicopter. You refused them all. What more did you want?
In this story the man’s soul was safe but his body was lost out of refusal to recognize the Lord’s hand. Yes, we are safe in His arms in the end but if we refuse His help along the way we suffer needlessly and who knows how many people we could have pointed towards Him if we had only listened along the way. Examine carefully the offers you accept though. Don’t confuse a push into evil as a rescue from God. If it goes against His word, it’s NOT from Him.
Father God, I’m excitedly looking forward to the day my feet leave this earth to join You in the air. I’m hoping I will be still walking the earth on that day. If I’m not, that’s ok too. One reason I’m hoping for Your call in my lifetime is so my children will get a WAKE-UP CALL they can’t ignore. How many other parents before me had this same desire? I know I’m no more special than any other mother before me, but my children are special to me. PLEASE send the right person across their paths to bring them back to You. I’m standing on Your promises from this very book Father. Bring them Home with You.
I’m also thinking about those who will choose to follow Satan after he is released. I cannot fathom what he could possibly entice them with that they would turn away from the glory You bring to this world with Your presence on the throne. I have so many questions about that time to come, but for now, I’ll sit with them in silence. I don’t think they will make my “bench” list because I fully expect to see them answered in person some day.
