The Ugliness But Necessity Of Preaching

*The scandal of Adam *advocates *that a man is merciful *for himself; *but a faithful and true man, *how will he find? (MAST)

Proverbs 20:6 (NKJV)

6 Most men will proclaim each his own goodness, But who can find a faithful man?

*[The scandal of Adam] literally, the abundance of Adam. Solomon is getting theological on us again. As he has before, he is referring back to were mercy began. Mercy begins toward mankind in Adam. That’s what makes this theological. Therefore Solomon doesn’t want this confused with just any common man (Rom.9:17). It is referring to the man God has made (and chosen) for the sake of His own expression of mercy. Adam was made for the purpose of demonstrating God’s mercy, something the devils will never experience beyond the chains of their time of liberty to deceive (Rev.12:12;20:1-2). That’s what makes this abundance of time a scandal. Our previous study of Proverbs 18:16-17 sets up for us what continues to stir in the mind of Solomon as he progressively makes these proverbial but spiritual statements. It’s this theological understanding of Adam, because of his personal sin, that liberates Solomon to make these spiritual judgments as a precedent for all men. So a distinction must be made between what a man is in Adam from what Adam was in God’s garden of grace. God’s grace began in the garden with Adam as he received fellowship with God, but there was no need for a demonstration of mercy until Adam sinned. So while Adam begins in grace, not all men continue in grace; however, all men born of Adam do begin in mercy in the hope of grace (Acts 17:27). This is the scandal that the sons of Adam have to learn live at peace with, until the riches of God’s mercy, which are known to us through Adam’s sin, become “abundantly” clear (Rom.5:20). Adam is a scandal of abundance because God is rich in mercy towards Adam’s advocacy (Eph.2:4-5;Rom.9:23). Adam advocates mercy, not grace, for every man (Acts 17:29-30). In Adam, a man is merciful for himself (Pr.16:26). In Adam, a man will love his neighbor as himself, but this is not what Solomon is advocating. Adam advocates this so that his children will know the riches of God’s mercy. Solomon, however, is advocating for more grace. To do this, he theologically cries out for more than just mercy; he cries out for a genuine man who can stand in his place, for he has been given the wisdom to know that a man is not sufficient for what is required to be an advocate of grace (2Cor.2:16). He is called upon to be the king of Israel, and this “forces” him to be a merciless judge. He bears the sword, but weeps over it with vanity! (Ecc.1:1-2) He desires to act from the heart of Adam’s advocacy. But he is bound not only to be faithful but “to be firm” as the enforcer of earthly justice. The priesthood is given to show mercy to the people, but because he is viewed by the State as merciless, he is forced to proclaim, defend his own worth (2Cor.11:1,16-21). But as the truth is in Adam, theologically, he knows his own worth (2Cor.12:11), and that it does not compare to the "abundance” of God’s mercy (Rom.8:18)! Therefore this proverb is a plea for justification by grace (2Cor.10:12)! He needs a greater defense than his father, Adam (Matt.3:9).

*[advocates] literally, cries out for or summons. Again, the verb’s action is born out of the theological understanding of Adam. Adam losing his innocency, being made aware of the nature of his sin, forces him to advocate for himself (Gen.3:9-12;James 1:13). This plea for mercy, because of the theological understanding of Adam’s sin, is what motivates the action of this verb, to summon, (1Cor.10:1-4). This theological truth resonates, “echoes” down in Solomon’s history. Therefore, because of the riches of mercy poured out upon Adam, men will justify themselves and stand firm in their own loyalty, which makes this a scandal (Lk.16:15). So the verb, here, is advocating for every man, much less the common man, to do this, but because it is in Adam, Solomon perceives it that man is insufficient to advocate himself (Gal.3:11). So on the hand that holds the vanity of the sword, Solomon sympathizes with man’s inability, because even he seeks to justify himself, but only through the mercy poured out on Adam does he advocate it. However, on the other hand, he clings to the promise of a greater man than himself (Matt.12:42) because, among his generation, there was no greater man than himself (1Kgs.4:29-34). Solomon is “named” out of all the sons of Adam in the sure mercies of David (Isa.55:3; Acts 13:34), which made this son of Adam a very abundant man (Jn.10:10). The mercies of his father David were multiplied to him (Pr.9:11; 1Kgs.1:37), but his heart testified that the mercies of men would not be sufficient to stand in the place of the grace of God. So while his only defense is the history of mercy that God has provided through the “theological line” of Adam to David, he still searches for "the” greater man to advocate his place on David’s throne (Matt.11:3;12:6).

*[that a man is merciful] literally, steadfast love. Again, there is a theological basis for the use of this word. The Hebrew noun, hesed, has multiple but distinct meanings, which ground the understanding of this word to its theological relationship between God and Adam. To know the mind of Solomon, we must know the theological understanding intended. I believe Solomon is using both sides to this theological coin to define for us what is being advocated here. It is used to express the consistent, constant kindnesses of God, but is also used to express the disgrace of sin. But how do these meanings reconcile into one term? It can only be understood through a historical theology of its development. Again, with pithy sayings, Solomon condenses his thoughts through presupposed theological understanding. Anticipating that his children will be taught Theology Proper, he makes his words few. Therefore this “lovingkindness” is born out of the shame and scandal of Adam’s sin. To cover this shame that is naturally written upon every man’s heart (Gen.3:7,11; Lev.20:17;Jer.17:1), the law defines this “hesed” as a “wicked” or shameful thing (Lev.20:17) before animal skins are even observed as a mercy (Gen.3:21). With this merciful “kindness,” God is saying to Adam that He perceives his sin to be like the nature of the beast (Gen.3:21; Gen.4:4) because God had not clothed him with Himself (Rev.19:13) yet. Adam was clothed with the whole host of Heaven (Heb.2:7), but when sin was found in him, there was nothing to cloth him but the nature of the earth (Heb.2:8-9). Because it is natural for Adam to offer mercy to himself “because” of his shame, it requires God to cover Adam with what is supernatural to his “self” (Heb.2:10-11), this is the advocacy that both Adam and Solomon desire through an understanding of this “hesed,” this shame. God gives Adam this beastly advocacy to cover his shame in the demonstration of the riches of His mercy upon him and to grope in anticipation of the riches of His grace (Acts 17:26-27). So it became natural of man to advocate for his own mercy in the pattern of Adam’s shame (Gen.3:10;5:3;Heb.12:1-2), but this was (and continues to be) theologically insufficient for man to be justified (made righteous) from sin, because while “hesed” testifies of God’s steadfast love, it equally testifies of Adam’s wicked shame (Gen.6.1-8;8:21;9:5-7). Therefore out of the depravity of his own nature, he testifies of his own shame by covering it with his self-image (Matt.12:34;Lk.6:45;Phil.3:19), which Adam, the Law, and Solomon are advocating temporarily here, but remain insufficient to perform it (2Cor.2:16;Rom.8:3;10:3). In other words, he preaches himself to his neighbor because he loves himself (Lev.19:18); however, like most of us, this is only an appearance of love (Matt.22:39;2Tim.3:1-5), as our wicked shame deceives even ourselves (1Tim.4:1;2Tim.3:13); and in deceiving ourselves we have no advocacy for ourselves by being a law to ourselves (Rom.2:14-15;Jer.17:9).

*[for himself] literally, comparable to himself. The heart and nature of man are circular. He reasons within himself to himself. This is contrary to, and a contradiction of, the image of God (Matt.22:20). Because of this, even God said of the man that it is not good for him to be alone (Gen.2:18). Without God, a man worships himself. As in a mirror, he examines himself with himself (Pr.27:19). That’s the comparison of competition going on here (2Cor.10:12). In terms of the relationship between a man and a woman, some have translated the noun, hesed, as loyalty. It could equally be translated, “Many a man proclaims his own fidelity,” if the relationship of ‘hesed’ is to be understood with the wife of his headship. How the man perceives himself is how he will compete in the spirit of his pride with another who is comparable to him (Lk.13:18). He chooses his competition based on who will give him the greatest challenge but also who falls short enough of himself that he can stand over them (Dt.25:14;1Cor.12:22-25). His personal image of himself may excel higher out of his competition for himself, but he will go no higher than himself because he will always be left with only the image of himself (Dan.3:18). So out of love for himself, he sets himself up as the standard (Dan.2:38). This circular reasoning demonstrates what a man is in the reflection of the absence of God. The Spirit of God is not in him to convict him of sin, and of righteousness, and of the judgment (Jn.16:8). As a result, his conscience is dead to the testimony of creation, which groans with the pangs of death (Mic.4:9;Rom.8:22;Ps.116:3). He drinks in the wages he earns for himself without any fear of Him who has the power over life and death (Job.15:16;Dt.32:39;Rom.6:23). But the abundant mercy that is set upon Adam advocates this only to the condition of the present world. In mercy, God gave this world over to His silent wrath (Rom.1:18-32; Lk.16:23; Acts 2:27,31; 1Cor.15:55; Rev.6:8). But Adam was given special revelation to understand the wrath that abides within his death (Gen.2:16-17). This wrath, while working spiritual death in the whole world (Rom.7:5;1Jn.5:19), works the grace of spiritual life in those who believe (Gen.3:22-23; 1Cor.15:45; 2Cor.3:6; Rom.8:28). So man being alone with his self-image is damning in-and-of-itself.

Therefore, God, Himself, advocated to him a woman comparable to him, but of the opposite sex to blur his self-image (1Cor.13:12). God made the woman more beautiful to behold than the man so that his eyes would not be restrained inward upon himself (Jn.1:29). She is like the animal skins that were to advocate the beastly nature of the ugliness of his nakedness (Gen.3:20-21). The woman, however, was given to teach the man how to think about God in the beauty of His perfection (Ezk.28:12-15). So she is created comparable to him in every spiritual ability (Eph.1:3), but is sometimes weaker in the power of the flesh (1Pet.3:7;2Cor.11:3;1Tim.2:14). And it was this weakness that led them both into sin (Gen.3:4-5), and now through sin, the spirit of pride works in them to compete against the nature of God’s order (1Cor.7:16;11:7) that is still designed to work spiritual life over the span of living together under the order of it (1Pet.3:6). Now both the man and the woman proclaim the nakedness of their shame when they create an image that is twisted and faithless to the divine design (Ex.32:6;Jn.3:14;1Cor.10:7;Acts 17:29). Even this image of the woman glorifying the man, in its circular reasoning, leaves the soul voided in the absence of the fear of the Lord (1Pet.3:1-6). The worship of itself is empty and grows dull in the attempt to satisfy the broken spirit (Mk.12:16; 1Pet.5:2 (KJV); Tit.1:7 (KJV)). It works life into the flesh but quickly fades in the death of the soul (2Cor.4:12;Pr.5:18;Ezk.18:20). This is what Solomon groans within himself as he confesses the desire and evident reality of the need for a sufficient advocate who is more than a mere man (Ps.82:6-7). Solomon needs Christ to advocate grace where a man is only able to advocate mercy (Lk.17:4; Matt.5:7; Zech.7:9; Jon.2:8; Ps.18:25). But what God did advocate was the grace of life in His design (1Pet.3:7). Though the woman is not the image of God, she still perfects the weakness of the man through Christ’s human advocacy (1Cor.11:7;Heb.4:15). She fills him with humility in the beauty of the flesh (1Cor.1:25;2Cor.3:18;4:6,15), but in the competition of the pride of life (1Cor.7:16), she also has the power to destroy the image which sustains his life (Gal.4:21-27;Heb.4:12;Gen.3:22-23).

In eternal glory, we are transformed into (the same) image of Christ, but as the woman is distinct from the man’s earthly glory, Christ’s glory will still be distinct from even the glory of the Bride of Heaven (Rev.21:9). Only He will bear the marks of our salvation as we cover His throne of grace from the sight of Hell (Isa.49:16), for Hell shall no more have the mercy to be able to look upon the beauty of the Lamb (Rev.21:22-27) in the face of His bride (Isa.50:6;Dt.31:17-18;32:20). Hell suffers in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb (Rev.14:9-11), but the sight of His face is hidden by the backs of the saints who are like a closed window to His grace (Rev.22:3-5). The joy of Heaven has its back toward the torments of Hell (Matt.7:19;25:11-46). Should the woman feed the man with her soulless pride (Matt.16:26), he will eat the vomit of her spiritual sloth (Pr.12:24;15:19;26:16;2Pet.2:22). In death, she has nothing to offer the man but emptiness (Pr.7:22-27). Therefore, her beauty can only be seen in the light of Christ, and her image can only be irresistible in the holiness of God (Lk.11:34-36). Without the grace of life, she will only feed the image of the man with sorrow and misery to fulfill the pride of her life (Rom.3:16;Pr.7:24-27). She is insufficient to perfect the man apart from the image of God’s wisdom (Pr.2:1-5;1Cor.11:7-9). She glorifies the weakness of the flesh only in the life of the Holy Spirit (2Cor.12:7-10). But where there is no Spirit, there will only be the slow death of her torments (Jdgs.16:19;1Sam.16:14). And all of Hell is deceived by her self-glory and self-honor in the name of the weakness of her prideful beauty (Job 23:13-17;Pr.9:18;Ezk.27:1-4;28:12). Adam’s justification was not lost (in Christ), but Eve’s innocency (in the man of sin) was forever lost (1Tim.2:14).

*[but a faithful and true man] literally, faithful multiplied by two. Figuratively, twice the man. After all that has been said regarding Solomon’s own advocacy of himself, he stresses, exclaims the need for an advocate who is not only faithful to be strong and firm in enforcing the justice of the spiritual law of the kingdom but also true to the completeness and perfection of the law (Ps.19:7;Rom.12:2;James 1:25;Lk.6:40). Comparing himself by himself, Solomon understands the need to search for the man who is twice the wise as he is (Rom.8:24-27). The Hebrew adjective is describing a single man who is fixed in his nature. Literally, a steadfast man, not a double-minded man who is unstable in his decisions (James 1:5-8). As Solomon examines within himself, he often finds his instability; and so he is always on self-correct. But, here, he is forced to answer his own wise questions because the fulness of Christ is not revealed to his generation. The following verse shows how he is going to apply this rhetorical statement (Pr.20:7). Because there is no one to be found to advocate for him, he must press on and continue to advocate himself. But with this expression, which shows the necessity of the multiplication of his own faithfulness, he answers by adding to himself, because self is all he has (Ecc.12:9-14). Nevertheless, the Spirit wants us to search beyond the wisdom of Solomon to the man who satisfies (and fulfills) this need (Matt.5:17;Lk.24:44-48). Christ is the faithful and true advocate to offer steadfast love to God on behalf of the saints, and even to the saints for their spiritual void (Eph.1:4;2:4;2Thess.2:16;1Jn.3:1;4:10,19;Rev.1:5). This may be saying it cheaply, but Christ is twice the man Solomon ever will be (Rom.8:35,37). In reality, Christ is infinitely more than the man Solomon ever was (Rev.3:14), but to morph the image of God’s glory to us (Rev.19:11;21:5;22:6), Solomon prefigures as a type of Christ for us to behold the righteousness and person of Jesus Christ (Rom.5:5,8).

*[how will he find] presuppositionally, who will find him? Again, Solomon is asking this question out the abundance of his unbelief (Lk.7:17-23;Mk.9:24). It is a question formed out of introspect (Lk.24:5). Observe Solomon viewing the world exclusively through what he perceives from his throne of justice. See how he calls upon God for answers through his doubts in the value of what shows its ugly face before his judgment seat. Solomon is looking through a lens of vanity that reveals itself before him daily. All his wise judgments come back to him, void in the spiritual benefits of his intentions. He prospers materially, but searches to meet, fellowship with more than just the condition of every man (1Cor.2:9-16). He searches for fellowship in the grace of God. He is looking for someone who will confess the sin that is relative to him, but with the same motivation to obtain a new condition (1Cor.2:13;Rom.8:1). While Solomon is searching through his expressions of doubt in the human ability to be wise and do good (Lk.18:6-7,9-11;Jn.20:27), God is searching to find the faith that is worthy to be compared to the seed which was sown in the heart of the earth (Lk.17:5-6;18:8;Mk.4:30-32;Matt.12:40). Therefore without a helper comparable to man and the faith worthy of God, a man is hopelessly alone (Gen.2:18;Jn.14:16,26;15:26;16:7;Rom.16:2;Heb.13:6;Jude 3;1Pet.5:9;James 2:1;2Tim.3:8;4:7). But walking in the Spirit who is at work in those who believe liberates the soul to continuously be at peace with God and bear fruit to the glory of His eternal Name (Phil.2:12-13). So as Solomon, out of the abundant fathoms of his own doubts (Ps.40:2;Job 38:16;Ps.71:20;86:13;130:1), searches for the faithful and true witness (Pr.20:27-30), even as God Himself is searching through the darkness of his depths to draw him out of his doubt and raise him up in the power of saving faith to walk in the integrity of the holiness of the Spirit of God. Now there must be a meeting in the rapture of the mind (of Christ) in the hope of the eternal promise to work the necessary faith to be true and faithful to uphold the vow of our promise (1Thess.4:17;Isa.19:21;Jonah 2:9).