Original: January 27, 2008
McMinnville, OR
24 for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations. Proverbs 27: 24
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works--32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke.33 I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 104: 31-33
On a recent devotional teaching from Psalm 104:31-33 I spoke about three animals that have been given special honor by being glorified as mounts on my wall. If you remember the word, “glory” or to “glorify” means to decorate, make known that which is unknown or reveal that which may be hidden. What I did not articulate was that these horns (antlers, to be accurate) also bring glory to the one who harvested them. A trophy buck, bull, or other antlered beast is a crown of glory among other sportsman as a public display of the skill needed to harvest such a trophy. However, these “riches do not endure forever”, ultimately losing significance through the “generations” one day ending up on the front lawn in a garage sale of a distant relative.
The writer of Proverbs uses the word “forever” as synonymous to “all generations”, which forces the question, “What crown (or riches) am I making that will last throughout all generations? What lasting and eternal legacy am I passing on to those in my life?”
Two other words that stand out in this passage are the words “endure” and “secure”. I find that linking these two words as synonyms is incredibly interesting. For an object to endure, or be secure is for the object in question to be firm, solid, and resolute in regards to eternity.
All men have a crown of horns (so to speak), but it will not endure.
Only the crown of thorns will endure.
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
Someone once said, “One life to live is sure to pass. Only that done for God is sure to last.” A life of service for the King is a man’s crown of thorns.
The answer to the question formulated from the proverb is simple yet profound. Throw away your temporal/finite crown of horns to replace it with an eternal/infinite crown of thorns.
A man’s investment in such temporal things as working, playing, hunting, fishing, etc. only hold the eternal value o the degree that they are used as a tool to pursue a spiritual crown. To pursue these things in order to boast in them is an exercise in futility at best and a wasted life at worst. The crown of horns should only be a means to the end of refueling a man’s spirit so he may have the energy and passion to build his legacy-his crown of thorns.
