The Bible speaks of "being at your wits' end"

Psalm 107:27-28 (NASB)

They reeled and staggered like a drunken man and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble.  He saved them out of their distresses. 

Have you ever been “at your wits’ end”?  Sure you have.  Typically, raising children at one time or another causes parents to be at their wits’ end.  Dealing with difficult bosses causes enormous stress.  Certain relationships can lead to a point where you cannot take it anymore.  A nagging illness or something causing chronic pain that never disappears can lead you to your wits’ end.   An accumulation of “little things” in life can lead to arriving at your wits’ end.  I was just reading about a guy who was at his wits’ end over a neighbor’s barking dog!  Each individual reading this can quickly cite a circumstance or more where you were at your wits’ end.  Indeed, right now you may be at your wits’ end.  What recourses do you have? 

What do people do when they reach their wits’ end?  Well, they act like what the Bible describes as a drunken man.  What’s the imagery of a drunken man?  One who loses control of his physical and mental functions, acts irrational, and simply cannot make wise decisions.  The original Hebrew for “wits end” literally means to have all your wisdom swallowed up!  There is nothing else that you can wisely think of to deal with, handle, solve, or overcome whatever circumstances are causing you to reach this point.

So, there are basically two types of responses people make when they reach their wits’ end.  One response is governed by natural human reactions and tendencies that result in the drunken man imagery.  People have nervous breakdowns, resort to drugs and alcohol, suffer significant depression and perhaps do and say things that are very regrettable later.

The other response is governed by having the Lord in control of your life and who will help you manage and overcome your circumstances.  Like the psalmist writes, people cry out to the Lord in their trouble and He saves them out of their distresses.  The entire 107^th Psalm teaches that the Lord delivers people from despairing circumstances in their lives.  What a huge promise.  Yet why don’t people believe?  It takes unwavering faith to believe what the Bible says is true (Hebrews 11:1,6) and reasons why people don’t believe all have something to do with a lack of faith (Matthew 14:31, Matthew 17:20, Mark 6:6, Romans 10:17, II Corinthians 5:17).

What has caused you to be at your wits’ end in your past and what did you learn from the experience?  What worked and what didn’t work?  Was the Lord involved in helping you?  What might be causing you to be at your wits’ end right now?  If you are reading this then you still have some rationality remaining where you can take appropriate action and avoid what might cause regrets later.  The most rational thing you can read and meditate over Psalm 107 and allow the Spirit of the Lord to give you relief and peace.  He will also answer your prayers in giving you insights (faith) to what you can do (works) to alleviate your troubles.    

“When a man is at his wits' end it is not a cowardly thing to pray, it is the only way he can get in touch with Reality.”—Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, August 28 reading.       

The Lord looks at the heart

I Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  

You likely have heard the phrase that the Lord sees what is on the inside of man, but didn’t know where this phrase came from.  Well, here it is.  We humans can only look at outward appearances.  If we could see what’s on the inside of man, Hollywood and Madison Avenue would not be where they are today.  We admire the person who is handsome, beautiful, tall, well-built, nice teeth, nice smile, good posture, speaks well, and whatever we can see on the outside.  We cannot see and often do not care if the person is kind, thoughtful, considerate, sincere, and selfless other than those closest to us.  Indeed, outside of family and a few close friends and neighbors, we have no idea what exists on the inside of a person.  One of Aesop’s quotes:  “Appearances are often deceiving.”  Jean de La Fontaine went further—“Beware so long as you live of judging men by their outward appearance.”  

One definition of maturity is the ability to appreciate the hidden qualities of people rather than the external features.  The younger the person the more important the external features.  As people age, the more important they see the internal qualities.  People that marry young often marry the best looking man or woman possible.  People that marry later in life, especially second (or beyond) marriages, look much more at the inner person, his or her character, rather than putting so much emphasis on outer appearance. 

In the business world, many companies evaluate their personnel with a criterion called “presence”.  One definition of presence is the reaction a person gets when he/she enters a room.  Such a person “stands out”.  Why?  Primarily because of his/her outer appearance.  Now, there are many other qualities of presence (candor, openness, passion, poise, self-confidence, sincerity, thoughtfulness, even warmth), but the main way that people define and detect presence is how a person appears on the outside.  Indeed, one definition of presence is how you project your eyes, face, body, voice, and conversation that emphasize the outer man rather than the inner man.   An inner man with qualities like humility, gentleness, selflessness, kindness and the like will not likely be described as having presence.  Confucius wrote: “I have yet to meet a man as fond of high moral conduct as he is of outward appearances”

We humans have little ability to judge what is inside a person’s heart.  It takes a long time to figure someone out and perhaps married couples married for decades might freely admit that they do not know all that is inside their spouse’s heart.  While you are not God and can never fully be like Him on this side of heaven, you can capture much of His character by allowing His Holy Spirit to control your life in all respects, how you act, speak and think.  A spirit-controlled person will not judge another person based on outward appearance.  How is your spirit-controlled character developing?  One main indication of spiritual growth is your hunger for the word of God.  Your reading this study vignette is a very positive sign of your spiritual growth.  Be encouraged by this.

Lessons from the stories of Jericho and Achan

Joshua 6 and 7 (NASB)

So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city. (6:20)

When I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold fifty shekels in weight, then I coveted them and took them; and behold, they are concealed in the earth inside my tent with the silver underneath it. (7:21)

Joshua 6 describes the Israeli conquest of Jericho, representing the return of the Jews to the Promised Land after centuries of slavery in Egypt.  Joshua 7 describes the story of the sin of Achan and the initial Israeli defeat at Ai.  How and why are these two events relevant to Christians today?

The story of Jericho rivets the imagination.  Imagine about 40,000 people (Joshua 4:13) circling the mighty Canaanite city of Jericho for six days and then 7 times on the 7^th day before the trumpets of the priests sounded (Joshua 6:15-16).  All these people shouted (think of the noise when 40,000 people are cheering at a football game) and the walls of Jericho “fell down flat” (6:20).  People are fascinated by this story who most likely first heard it as children and remain fascinated about it as adults.  Jericho represented a city/society/culture full of sin that God chose to destroy using the Israelites led by Joshua.  Yet God also chose a method of capturing the city that was far different than any human military leader would choose.  Joshua is an example to us today of having complete faith in the Lord God.  He followed God’s commands exactly, even if those commands might have been very hard to understand.          

The story of Achan can be entitled “The unfailing curse of secret sin” (from a sermon I heard the late Adrian Rogers preach in 1979).  Achan decided to steal some of the spoils of Jericho then lied about it.  Joshua 7:21 describes the progression of sin, true then and true today:

1.  Your eyes see something you want (“I saw among the spoil…….”)

2.  What you see, you then covet (“…..then I coveted them…….”)

3.  What you covet, you eventually steal (“……and took them”)

4.  What you steal you then try to hid (“….they are concealed in the earth inside my tent….”)

Because of Achan’s sin, God needed to punish not only Achan, but the whole Israeli nation.  Such fierce judgment and discipline from God was absolutely necessary or the nation would quickly destroyed by its enemies.  Because of the sin of Achan, you can read the following verses in the book of Joshua about what happened to Israel and Achan:

·  7:9           Dishonor to God

·  7:12         Defeat of our brethren

·  7:17-18    Disgrace to family

·  7:24-26    Death to loved ones

Joshua is an example of faith and obedience.  Achan is an example of selfishness and disobedience.  Joshua’s obedience resulted in victory and honor.  Achan’s disobedience resulted in shame and death.  You might wonder why stealing and then trying to hide a theft resulted in death not only to the thief, but to the thief’s family.  Israel’s entire future as a nation was dependent on strict obedience to God.  Any kind of disobedience and hidden sin simply could not be tolerated. 

One last point although a book could be written (and probably has) on all the learning points from the stories of Joshua and Achan.  Joshua 7:7-26 and I John 1:3-10 go together.  Sin is always ultimately revealed.  Trying to hide sin only results in a curse.  Confess and repent now, not when you are caught.  If now, forgiveness (I John 1:9).  If later, judgment (Proverbs 28:13).

Read thoroughly and reflect on all the teachings about obedience and Joshua 6 and disobedience in Joshua 7.  Make up your mind to live the rest of your life like Joshua and never again try to hide any sin like Achan, but to confess it and be forgiven.  Whatever choice you make, there are consequences.  The stories of Joshua and Achan exemplify those consequences.  

Not a hint of sexual immorality, impurity, or greed

Ephesians 5:3 (NIV)

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

To be holy is to be free of sexual immorality, be free of any kind of impurity, and to be free from any kind of greed.  These are three clearly identified areas of impropriety according to God’s Word.  They also are in line with what I John 2:16 writes: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (sexual immorality), the lust of the eyes (impurity), and the boastful pride of life (greed) is not from the Father, but is from the world”.  Let’s take a deeper look:

Not a hint of sexual immorality

Sexual immorality includes not only adultery, one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14), but also includes fornication (unmarried sex, read Hebrews 13:4), various perversions such as sex with a relative (Leviticus 18:6), homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22, Romans 1:26-27), sex with animals (Leviticus 18:23), and immorality of the mind (Matthew 5:28).  Immorality of the mind is the most difficult aspect of immorality to overcome because this involves complete control of your mind and your eyes (see Job 31:1, Matthew 6:22).  Such control is often usurped because of supersaturated and rampant emphasis on sex in all media—movies, television, magazines, even newspapers—and the overwhelming availability, now to epidemic levels, of pornography on the internet. 

The Bible is clear…….if you wish to be holy (to be separated from evil), there must not be a hint of sexual immorality in your life.  This is where you must claim the promise God that nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37) and giving over your problems to Him will help you overcome the problem of sexual immorality in your daily life (I Corinthians 10:13).        

Not any kind of impurity

Impurity means contamination or uncleanness.  In the pharmaceutical business, drug impurity can lead to injury and death.  Impurity of the mind and heart also can lead to spiritual injury and death.  Impurity is strongly connected with sexual sin(s), but in this passage and in Galatians 5:19 and Colossians 3:5. Immorality and impurity are separate words either describing different sinful natures or reinforcing how much God hates immorality and impurity.  Conversely, purity (and not morality) is a description of a godly man as Paul writes in I Timothy 4:12 and 5:2.  While impurity is closely connected to sexual immorality, it also can refer to sins of envy, covetousness, jealousy, lying, and, well, practically any kind of sin.  Your life must be free of any kind of impurity and that’s why it is so important everyday to confess your sins for the Lord is faithful to forgive you and to cleanse (purify) you of all unrighteousness (I John 1:9).

Not any kind of greed

The problem of greed is very relevant in American society evidenced by daily headlines in business, entertainment, and sports.  Demands of more money from spoiled pro sports athletes are publicly prime examples of rampant greed going on in this country.  Greed is idolatry and any kind of study of the Old Testament becomes very convincing how much God hates idolatry.  The world has always been filled with people who are greedy; you can read about some of this in I Corinthians 5:10-13.  The famous “greed is good” quote by Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street” shows the emphasis that the world has about money and covetousness.  Greed is associated with wickedness (Proverbs 21:26) and contrasted with righteousness that is associated with giving away.  Jesus warned us against the sin of greed in Luke 12:13-15.  Greed is powerful enough to keep you from entering heaven according to Mark 8:36-37.  The greatest guard against greed is to learn to be content (Philippians 4:11, Hebrews 13:5) with what you have that will prevent you from having an unhealthy and spiritually dangerous love of money (I Timothy 6:10).

If you claim to love God, you must not have in your life a hint of sexual immorality, any kind of impurity nor any kind of greed.   You must do whatever it takes to guard your heart and mind and soul against these very serious and very dangerous sins.  Why are they dangerous?  Because Paul then writes in Ephesians 5:5-7: “For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.”