The helpless

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

THE HELPLESS

Prov 28:15

15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked man ruling over a helpless people.

NIV

Just as we saw how those who fear God are blessed, we now see how those who are helpless are ruled. Perhaps the Hebrew gives us a better understanding of the helpless. The Hebrew word implies weak or thin. This would give us the picture of someone who does not have the help of the Lord in their lives. They are not in his refuge, or abiding in his strong tower. They are in the world without a relationship with God. This makes them weak, it makes them thin or helpless. It is not as though we who are believers are not strong in ourselves, for our strength comes from the Lord. He is our strength, he is our righteousness, and he is our strong tower in times of trouble. He is our rock. We have been given his armor so we can take our stand against the schemes of the devil. The helpless have none of that for they have either refused or have never heard of the gospel message. The devil is roaming around like a lion seeking whom he might devour. If a person is not serving God, then that person is serving the devil. Those who do not accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are being ruled by the prince of this world, the devil. He is the wickedest man who rules over these helpless people. They are being lead to the slaughter as helpless lambs. He may not be referred to as a charging bear, but surely as a wolf in sheep’s clothing looking to devour the flock. Although it may be true most non-believers think they are in control of their own destiny, they are in fact being ruled by this wicked devil. He has deceived them into thinking their intelligence will save them and the planet. He has deceived them into thinking God and creation are nothing more than a myth or as one ex-governor once put it, Christianity is nothing more than a crutch for weak-minded people. The devil has deceived them into thinking they are more intelligent than the weak-minded, stupid, foolish people who believe there is a God and his salvation. But it is we who have the strength of mind because we have heard the voice of the Spirit and understood the importance of his message. We made the most intelligent decision of a lifetime, we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We decided to free ourselves from the rule of the wicked devil and freely hand our lives over to God. But Jesus does not rule us in the same manner the devil rules the weak, the helpless. Jesus does not call us servant, but rather friend. Although we say we serve the Lord, we are in fact already co-heirs with Jesus, we have been given the right to be called children of God. Although God is our master, he has freed us from the bondage of sin, of the bondage the devil binds his helpless slaves in. We have a freedom in Christ like no other freedom. The devil has no hold on us, no rule over us, and no influence upon our lives. Praise God for his deliverance from a life that leads to death. The roaring lion, the charging bear only bring death to those they devour. Jesus brings life to those he has freed from that death. Let us try to enlighten those who are weak, let us make every effort to bring life to those who are dead. Let us bring help to the helpless.