Where Do You Loiter?

 

“I have seen among the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man lacking sense,
passing along the street near her corner,
taking the road to her house,
in the twilight, in the evening,
at the time of night and darkness.”
(Proverbs 7:7–9)

Wisdom and folly are found in very different places. Wisdom stands on the street corners and lifts her voice to all who will hear: “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?” Her invitation to the fool is a call to change direction: “If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you” (Proverbs 1:22–23).

Wisdom is portrayed as easy to find, and her message is clear. Why, then, aren’t the simple flocking to her invitation from every corner of the city square?

The simple are loitering somewhere else.

They wait at the gate of folly. Night is falling. The businesses of the city are closing their shutters, and the folly of the night has begun. The fool knows the danger he is in, but he wonders how close he can come without getting burned. His loitering is rewarded by the arrival of temptation—her words, her dress, her perfume. All at once, he follows her. The trap is sprung, and his life is changed forever.

Why does he loiter?

The work of the day is finished, and as soon as his time is his own, he goes to wait by her door. His free time—his leisure—is spent awkwardly standing or pacing, watching at her house. How foolish is his heart, how oblivious to the danger! His heart longs for the temptation, the excitement, the enticement. He does not mean to go all the way—just a little further. Yet he sets himself on a trajectory that will bring his ruin.

So ask yourself plainly: Where do you loiter?
Not where you fall, but where you linger. Not the sin you commit, but the door you stand near. Wisdom calls in the daylight, but folly waits patiently for the evening. The heart is shaped long before the act.

Do not be deceived—no one stumbles suddenly. We drift by standing still. If you would walk in wisdom, then do not loiter at the threshold of sin. Turn your feet while it is still day, and order your time, your thoughts, and your desires toward the voice that gives life.

Glory and Influence

 King Lemuel’s mother was a wise instructor (Proverbs 31:1–9). She warned her son not to spend his strength—his time, money, spiritual capital, and moral authority—on self-indulgence. Instead, she called him to use his position as king to influence the plight of those who could not speak for themselves.

Kings possess glory (Hebrew: kābôd)—majesty and honor made visible. People are drawn to a king’s power, wisdom, and judgment. A good king therefore stewards not only his strength, but also his glory and, by extension, his influence. Lemuel’s mother exhorts him to “open his mouth”—to act publicly and justly on behalf of the poor and the needy.

Like strength, glory and influence must be stewarded. Any man must guard his character, both in public and in private, if he is to retain moral authority. Glory can be wasted—traded away for approval, comfort, or the avoidance of conflict. But a faithful king spends his influence differently. He aligns himself publicly with what is good, right, and true. He speaks with moral clarity. He expends his influence downward, on behalf of those who cannot repay him.

Spending glory and influence in this way may cost comfort, safety, relationships, and even reputation for a season. Yet men who desire to fulfill the dominion mandate and to steward their strength and influence wisely must listen to Lemuel’s mother. God gives strength and influence not merely to possess, but to deploy. They may be squandered, hoarded, or spent—but only when they are spent wisely are they used for the glory of God.

The Glory of Young Men is Their Strength

"The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old."
(Proverbs 20:29)

How are the sexes to be distinguished? Some argue they shouldn't be — that each individual stands on their own as self-sufficient and unique. It’s true that both men and women share equally in bearing the image of God. Together, we are called to take dominion over God’s creation.

But gender is not merely incidental or interchangeable. Ask the Olympic boxer who stepped out of the ring after facing a transgender opponent: “I’ve never been hit that hard in my life.” At the very least, one defining characteristic of manhood is physical strength. Men have, on average, ten times the testosterone of women. This biological reality has a purpose — and it's not arbitrary. It’s rooted in the dominion mandate (Genesis 1:26–28).

Men are built to protect and defend, to labor and build, to take responsibility for those under their care. But this strength isn’t given for selfish purposes — it’s a stewardship. Strength is not just a gift; it’s a charge.

"I am writing to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one."
(1 John 2:14)

Young men must learn to harness their strength with wisdom. Physical power alone is not enough — it must be governed by the Word of God, rooted in what is good, right, and true. One writer helpfully defined manhood as “the glad assumption of sacrificial responsibility for the sake of those under a man's care, for the glory of God.”

This is the lesson King Lemuel’s mother taught him. A man can waste his strength, as Samson did, on lust and promiscuity — a path that leads to destruction and disqualified leadership. He can squander his strength on self-indulgence, on strong drink, which distorts judgment and breaks trust with those who depend on him.

But there is another way: strength can be invested. A man can stand up for the rights of the poor and afflicted. He can speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. He can channel his power in service of others — not to dominate, but to bless.

God is glorified when a man uses his strength for the very purpose He gave it: to protect, to provide, to lead, and to love with courage and conviction.

      

Boaz and The Art of Personal Management (Ruth 2)

        Chapter One of the Book of Ruth saw the testimony of Naomi and her bitterness at the circumstances of her life.  God’s providence had been of no comfort to her.  When Boaz enters the picture at the time of the Barley harvest, the mood shifts.  Naomi is able to see more of the goodness of God.  She is able to find hope again in her circumstances.  What was it about the words and actions of Boaz that made the difference?

        If we wrote a book based on his actions, we might call it  “The Art of Personal Management.”  What would Boaz teach us?

1.       1.  Develop a culture of blessing with words.  The opening words of Boaz to his workers “The Lord bless you” and their equivalent response was more than formality.  It expresses their mutual respect and care for each other. 

2.       2.   Show interest and concern for those under your care.  When Boaz inquires after the stranger in his field, the foreman offers more detail because he knows Boaz will have listening ears.  Nabal, at the time of sheep-shearing, was never this approachable or this interested in the welfare of others.  Ruth and her plight have caught the interest of the foreman and he shares that information with Boaz because he knows that Boaz will do something.

3.       3.  Be generous in ways that honor the image of God in man.  Gleaning provides work and profit for the poor.  Boaz respects the need for work.  But, he tells his men to drop stalks of grain along the way on purpose.  Ruth’s work will now be exceptionally profitable.  Her hard work from morning until dusk will be rewarded with his generosity.

4.       4.  Assign roles and tasks to those in your employ that are meaningful and will help to get the work done in a timely manner.  Boaz must organize the harvest to get done in time for the wheat harvest.  He has young men for harvesting and bringing water for the workers.  He also has young women in the fields gathering grain.  He also has a foreman, managing the affairs of the harvest in the field.  Everyone works with skill toward one end.

5.       5.  Allow those under your care to be generous and honoring as well.  The young men can now be as generous as they choose to be toward Ruth.  We can imagine that some drop more and some drop less.  The workers are actively involved in the generosity of Boaz.

6.       6.  Touch the lives of others in such a way that when they leave your presence, they bless your name (and praise God).  The abundant fruit from gleaning and the countenance of Ruth are enough to change the bitterness of Naomi.  The actions of Boaz lift the chin of Naomi so that she can see the blessing of God as well.

7.       7.  For Boaz, His vocation and his faith were wed.  We are not meant to compartmentalize our faith.  All of our lives are lived before God’s face.  We give account for our worship.  We give account for our work lives.  God is to be glorified in every area of our lives.  In doing so, in both subtle and obvious ways, we mirror God’s glory.

 

Caleb: A Good and Broad Land

               God has been good to me.  There have been many times in my life when he has brought me to a land where I could say with the psalmist, “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places” (cp. Psalm 16:5-6)   I have friends scattered throughout the world, good friends, who have stamped my soul with their care for me.  Though now they may have forgotten my name, I bask in the light of their kindness and love for me.  If any of them had need, I would rise with whatever zeal and resources I could muster to come to their aid.

                There have also been times when I have been discontented.  It was only later that I recognized the good land to which I had been led.  I had different expectations, and in the midst of what God had planned for me, I was disappointed.  God was to be my portion and my cup, and I missed it.

                I am no different than the Jews of Moses’ day.  The pattern of God’s blessing for me follows the same steps as the Exodus:

                1.  God sees our slavery.  In Exodus 3, God tells Moses, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt.  God is not oblivious to our sufferings.  He will come to our aid.  “The cry of the people of Israel has come to me.”  We are not outcasts in a random, barren world.  The love of God has heard our cries, understood our pain and risen to help us.

                2.  God announces His intent to provide full deliverance:  “I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites… a land flowing with milk and honey.”  God’s promise had two sides.  He would bring them out of slavery and into blessing, out of pain and into rest.  It was a good land.

                3.  God’s promise comes with an invitation to be accepted by faith.  Listen to the richness of God’s plan:

“For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and figs trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.  And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land He has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:7ff).

The goal of His plan is always His glory and our good.  We will be satisfied and He will be glorified.  And our fellowship with Him will be sweet.

                To a man in slavery, that kind of promise and that kind of God can capture your imagination.  It can kindle a zealous heart for following Him.  “A land flowing with milk and honey” described a fertile and abundant harvest, a rich blessing in the agricultural world of the Exodus.  A good and stalwart man like Caleb will clutch the refrain tightly to his breast, not because it presents a change in his circumstances, but because it represents by faith a new and intimate relationship with a powerful, caring God.

                Like the children of Israel, God knows our suffering and has heard our cries.  He has announced His intent to deliver us from our sin, and to bring us into a good and broad land.  Like Caleb, I will arise and follow- only God has what I need.