ADAR
BET 29
Motives
“All
of a person's ways seem right in his own opinion, but the LORD evaluates the
motives.”
(Pro 21:2 NET)
An opinion is something all of us have,
whether we choose to broadcast it or not.
For the most part, opinions are free, unless you belong to that segment
of society that is over-educated and brain washed, and can charge the BIG bucks
to give your opinion (I am addressing those of the political arena here). But what, exactly, is an ‘opinion’? One on-line dictionary includes the following
in the definition of ‘opinion’:
1. A belief or judgement that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty
2. a personal view, attitude, or appraisal
3. the formal expression of professional
judgement, i.e. to ask for a medical 2nd opinion[1]
From these definitions, we can easily reach the conclusion that without the certainty of Torah, most opinions are nothing but chaff in the wind. When we use our own opinion - instead of Torah – as a guide to live by, we are headed for trouble. Opinions can be dangerous, folks, for they are often rooted in ‘self-sovereignty’.
“… but the LORD EVALUATES the motives.” The word that has been translated as ‘evaluates’ in our opening verse is the Hebrew word tâkan (Strong’s H8505), and is strongly concerned with a balanced scale. Many translations of this verse use the word ‘weigh’, or ‘measure’; both of these again are indicative of balance, and a set of scales. In other words, our Elohim is concerned with the how our lives measure up, how they are balanced, SPECIFICALLY against the standard set for us in the Torah.
Motive is defined as “something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing”[2] In other words, the motive for my having just completed my breakfast is because I was hungry. Be that as it may, let us look a little closer to just what it is that our Elohim is evaluating. Could He be examining the reason we have chosen to walk and live according to our own opinions? Our motives – for anything that we choose to do – will always come under the scrutiny of our Creator, for it is our motives, our reason for doing what we do, that will either justify us, or condemn us. In my personal life, I have found that asking the question “to whom does this (action) bring honor and esteem?” is a good place to start with a ‘motive meter’. If what I am doing is for the sole intent and purpose of focusing attention on myself, then that would be a road that I had best turn away from.
“Search me, O Ěl, and know my heart; Try me, and know my
thoughts; And see if an idolatrous way is in me, And lead me
in the way everlasting.” (Ps 139:23-24 ISR)
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