Continue

I began college thinking I would finish in four years with a degree in accounting. For two and a half years I continued along this path, going to work and school full time. Each semester I grew a little wearier. It was hard work, and I had been advancing quickly in the company I worked for. The allure of more money and a management position glittered more brightly than going to class and studying. Finally, I decided to discontinue college.

On the other hand, whenever I get the latest Joel Rosenberg novel, I set aside a day or two. Once I read the first page, I’m hooked. I feel compelled to continue. Rosenberg’s chapters are short, so it never seems like a big deal to read just one more chapter. His books are fast paced, so stopping at the end of a chapter doesn’t seem like an option. Once in college, I was so engrossed in a book that I stayed up until two in the morning to continue to the end. If it had been a normal Friday night, that might have been ok, but it was the night before my seven am calculus final. I should have discontinued reading, and continued studying.

There are times we should continue, and times we should pause or stop altogether. But there is something we should always continue in.

17 Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.

18 Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 23:17-18

The command to “continue in the fear of the Lord” caught my attention. It sounds like a good goal for the day, for life, but what does it really involve? These verses are a continuation of a parent’s instructions to their child. There is also a preceding command that frames the command to continue in the fear of the Lord. Let’s dive in.

Although “this instruction reflects Israel’s covenant relationship and the promises of God”[1] (similar language in Jeremiah 29:11), there are things we can learn. Verse 17 begins with, “Let not your heart envy sinners.” First, we learn this command has to do with our hearts. God is concerned with more than our outward actions and words. He cares about our hearts. It is from the abundance of our hearts that our words and actions spring forth (Matthew 12:34; 15:17-20; Proverbs 4:23).

Second, our hearts are not to envy sinners. Envy is the result of discontentment. An envious heart says God is not good and has failed to provide what we think we need. A heart that envies sinners, is lusting after, trusting in, and worshipping idols because we are putting the object of our envy above God. Thus, we are told to put off this envious heart.

But with what do we replace the envy in our hearts? If we don’t replace what we have put off, then what we have put off usually creeps back in. The latter part of verse 17 reveals the answer, “but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.”

To fight the temptation of envying sinners, we must be single-minded in loving and worshipping God. We remember who God is, His current blessings in our lives, and His promised blessings for the future (vs 18). I like how Charles Spurgeon defined continuing in the fear of the Lord:

“The fear of the Lord is a brief description for true religion. It is an inward condition, betokening hearty submission to our heavenly Father. It consists very much in a holy reverence of God, and a sacred awe of Him. This is accompanied by a child-like trust in Him, which leads to loving obedience, tender submission, and lowly adoration.”[2]

Practically, this “continuing” means we trust in the Lord with all our heart, and do not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). We read and meditate on God’s Word. We are thankful throughout the day and spend time in prayer. This reminds us that God is sovereign, and He is our provider. We praise and worship God which fixes our minds and hearts on His character and grows our awe of Him. When we fall and find ourselves envying sinners, we run to the God of all grace knowing we are forgiven, and that Jesus perfectly continued in the fear of the Lord every second of His life on earth in our place. God sees you with Jesus’ perfect record.

Verse 18 provides encouragement for us to “continue in the fear of the Lord.” It reminds us that these circumstances, this life is not all that there is. God has a glorious future for us with Him for all eternity. We have hope. In contrast, the sinners we are tempted to envy have no hope. Whatever we are envying is temporal. Our future with God, our hope, is eternal. The wicked will come to an end. Those in Christ will have life everlasting.

There are things we readily continue even when it is difficult. We are even willing to sacrifice to continue after what our heart is set on. There is nothing more important or valuable than continuing in the fear of the Lord all the day. Is this the echo of your heart? Are you willing to sacrifice for it? Lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and run with endurance the race that is before you (Hebrews 12:1-2)?

Reflection

1. Who or what has your heart been envying? What does your envy reveal about your view of God? Be specific.

2. Instead of envying sinners, we should have compassion for them. They are lost apart from God. They need Jesus and the Gospel. Think of at least one unsaved person for whom you can pray. Then pray for an opportunity to share the hope that you have with that person.

3. What is one thing you can cultivate in your daily life so that you “continue in the fear of the Lord?” What sacrifices do you need to make?

[1] The Reformation Study Bible. R. C. Sproul et al, eds. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995.As found in the Logos Bible study software program. [2] David Guzik, Proverbs, David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible (Santa Barbara, CA: David Guzik, 2017), Pr 23:17–18.