Category OT Book 20 – Proverbs

May 7 2013

Proverbs 26 – More Hope For a Fool

donkey-01In many cases, when verses of the Book of Proverbs talk about a fool, this describes someone who simply refuses to believe the truth (as in the more famous verses 4-5).   Sometimes it refers to someone who consistently makes really bad choices.  This chapter of Proverbs begins with 11 verses concerning the fool. It varies from the poor advisability of depending on a fool for anything important, to the harm a fool can do to good people by his actions.  Then comes verse 12:

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

The reference to being “wise” in one’s own eyes is used in many passages throughout the Bible.  Paul referred to it in Romans 11:25 and Romans 12:16.  This refers to a person who will not consider anything that contradicts their own views because they trust their own intelligence and wisdom too much.  It is this obstinate arrogance that takes them to a degree beyond a fool.   There is little hope for such people because their intellectual conceit will likely prevent them from ever changing.  There is hope for the fool, however, if you can ever get one to stop long enough to actually listen.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

May 5 2013

O T Facts (Second Book of Law) – Exodus

Exodus

The book’s name comes from the Greek noun exodos, meaning “a going out” or “departure.”  God leads His people out of Egypt by way of Moses, has the Tabernacle constructed, and dwells among His people.

On the first Passover, the Israelites who painted their doorways with blood were passed over when the angel of death came through the land of Egypt (Exodus 11).

On the first Passover, the Israelites who painted their doorways with blood were passed over when the angel of death came through the land of Egypt (Exodus 11).

Exodus 3 – the burning bush – God calls Moses to do His will

Exodus 4 – Moses returns to Egypt

Exodus 7:14 – 10:29 – Plagues 1 through 9

Exodus 11-12 – 10th plague and the Passover

Exodus 14 – Crossing of the Red Sea

Exodus 19 – Arrival at Mount Sinai

golden_calfExodus 20 – The Ten Commandments given

Exodus 24 – The Covenant Confirmed

Exodus 25 – 31 – Instructions for the Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant

Exodus 32 – Covenant breach \ the golden calf

Exodus 36 -39 – Tabernacle Constructed

Moses makes the tabernacle in the wilderness

Moses makes the tabernacle in the wilderness

Exodus 40 – Assembly of the Tabernacle \ the Glory of the Lord

/Bob’s boy
___________________
image © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 30 2013

Proverbs 25 – The Glory of God

I have to admit that sometimes it is my inclination, whenever I encounter a verse or two that I just don’t understand, to just move on to another.  And I am certain also that I am not alone in that regard, especially when it comes to the Book of Proverbs.  There is so much wisdom contained in these words from God that we cannot simply open our eyes and our minds and just breathe them all in with complete understanding the way they are “breathed out” by God.  Verse 2 is just such a verse for me.

It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out

heavens_005But this one gnawed at me, and I was determined not to just let it go for now.  After searching my heart, the scriptures, and more than a couple of commentaries, I am still not sure I totally get it.  But maybe I am closer than when I started.  Deuteronomy 29:29 reads “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”  What secret things?  And what would God conceal?

So let’s try to make this just as clear as mud now.  In 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul tells the Corinthians of an experience of “a man” in third person, of which he is clearly the subject – that of being caught up into heaven.  The text says it happened 14 years earlier, which would make it around 41-42 A.D. – after leaving Damascus. We are not told of any specific vision Paul had at that time, although he surely had many.

The salient point for this discussion however is where verse 4 says “he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.”   It is also true that Jesus told us that God has concealed understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom from those who consider themselves wise – and that he has revealed them to the “little children” (Matthew 11:25, Matthew 13:10-17).

Speculating from now until judgment day as to what Paul saw and heard will not get us any closer to the truth – except to know that there are things not of this “world” that we do not yet know, and some that many or all of us perhaps never will.  But we can all search for the truth in God’s word with our hearts and minds open; and we may find a truth that was hidden from us the last time we searched.  That is the reason we do daily Bible reading; and it is the reason that it is fruitful to do so.  We will never run out of something to learn.

Lean not upon your own understanding…

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 23 2013

Proverbs 24 – Precious and Pleasant Riches

family-002By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.

Clearly the wisdom referred to here is that which is gained from knowledge of the Lord through His word.  Through studying God’s word, one gains the understanding to avoid building “on the sand” (Matthew 7:24-27).    God has given us the plans for the architecture, the answers to the important questions of life – how to live one’s life, how to treat our husbands and wives, how to raise our children, and how to love one another.  Knowledge and application of all these things will surely fill our homes with precious and pleasant riches; and such knowledge is therefore, by example and instruction, passed down to our children and their children, even though they dwell in a wicked world.  These rooms are a more precious gift for our heirs than any worldly wealth.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 16 2013

Proverbs 23 – Buy Truth

At first glance, verse 23 of this chapter seems odd and I actually have given it little thought in the past:

Buy truth, and do not sell it;
buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding

The meaning of this may be obvious to some, but it was not so to me. Acquiring wisdom, instruction, understanding, and especially truth – even at great cost – is certainly advisable, desirable, and to be cherished.  We search diligently for the truth because that is the way of the Lord.  But what is meant by “do not sell it?”  I think it means that we should not let go of truth.  We should not turn away from it, compromise it, and we certainly should not not allow it to be taken from us or perverted – not at any price.

sun-001The price of truth may seem high at times.  It sometimes costs people in terms of relationships – not everyone likes the truth, so they will not acknowledge it.  The truth is light, and those who dwell in darkness hate the light (John 3:20).  It will certainly at times cost us in terms of earthly pleasures.  It has cost people their jobs, their freedom – even in our time.  It cost Stephen and many other Christians their lives (Acts 7:51-60, Romans 8:36).  The truth is not always popular with others, but we as His priests (1 Peter 2:9), are commanded to always speak it to others.  The key is to do as as Ephesians 4:15 says: “speaking the truth in love.”

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 9 2013

Proverbs 22 – Riches, Honor, and Life

We have mentioned before that reading the book of Proverbs can be challenging (see previous post).  That it contains great wisdom is unquestionable, but one of the many mistakes made easily is to draw faulty conclusions about general truths.  This is often done with passages in both the Old and New Testaments that may appear to some to predict financial gain for godly behavior, as in verse 9 (Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor).   Being generous with the poor will result in being blessed indeed.  But the richness that such actions results in is more often of a different type of blessing.  Take verse 4 of this chapter for example:

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord
is riches and honor and life.

Gold_BarsIt should be obvious that being modest and respectful and living a godly life does not guarantee one wealth in return.  Matthew Henry said it best: “Where the fear of God is, there will be humility. And much is to be enjoyed by it; spiritual riches, and eternal life at last.”

More often than not, generosity, good character, and doing the right thing bring richness of life in and of themselves in the form of spirituality.  Those who truly practice it have learned that it is so.  Verse one sets the tone as far as we are concerned:

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Apr 2 2013

Proverbs 21 – Refusing Justice

Charles Manson

Charles Manson

This chapter is laden with proverbs concerning righteousness, justice, and evil.  Consider verses 7 and 10:

The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
because they refuse to do what is just.

The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no mercy in his eyes.

That there are people in this world that are simply evil is demonstrated to us at various times in our lives, but it often takes by surprise nonetheless.  We want to believe in the inherent good of man for the most part, and are sometimes shocked at how easily some can do evil – from the fearless and brazen thief to the cold calculating killer, our faith in humanity sometimes gets shaken as we learn of someone who has behaved with depravity, sometimes for years on end.

Osama Bin Laden

Osama Bin Laden

The truth is that there are wicked people who do horrible things not because they just cannot help themselves, but instead they do so eagerly and without remorse.  They have no mercy on their fellow man because they are ruthless.  But such evil will not escape punishment forever.  Eventually, their evil and violence will destroy them.  God wants everyone to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4).  But not everyone will be.  And so, there is no shame for us in the truth of verse 15:

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 26 2013

Proverbs 20 – Like Deep Water

Sometimes the proverbs of these chapters come at us so fast that our eyes want to glaze over, and we can miss any point whatsoever quite easily in any one of them.  Then we read the same set on another occasion, and something just clicks, and we so “oh yeah…i think I get it now!”  Verse 5 of this chapter was one such proverb for me:

“The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water,
but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

Humpback_WhaleSolomon presses us in these proverbs, particularly in the first few chapters, to pray for and to seek wisdom for many good reasons.  One of those reasons is to gain a deeper understanding of life, and of the heart.  Along those lines, so many of these proverbs speak of the value and wisdom to be gained by just listening.  By listening to others, we gain experience with the ways of the mind and of the heart – we acquire understanding.  The reference to deep water here is to say that what lies at the heart of a man’s (or a woman’s) intentions, desires, or even something that may really be bothering them is sometime not so obvious.

But by learning to listen, we can also learn what questions to ask to get to the heart of the matter.  And if the heart is up to no good, that will come out as well.  How do we know what questions to ask?  We ask those questions that help us gain a better understanding of what we are listening to.  And how does this help us with our walk with God?  If we truly are to love our neighbor, we must care enough about him to seek some insight into his heart.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 19 2013

Proverbs 19 – A Man’s Folly

The first of the verses of this chapter of Proverbs that caught our eye as real wisdom is verse 3:

When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin,
his heart rages against the Lord

Don’t misunderstand this post.  As the Book of Job eloquently points out, man’s troubles are not always brought about by his own actions.  But most of us have known someone – maybe you even know someone now – who fits the description of this verse.  The person I am speaking of has either done something foolish, or lived a life of sin – or often, both of these.  Now their deeds have caught up with them in their life, and the consequences they are having to live with are great.  Perhaps it has resulted in trouble with the law, their marriage, financial devastation.  Maybe their health is bad due to a life of fast living and sinful self-indulgence.

jailBut instead of recognizing that most of what has come to pass in their life is self-inflicted, they instead rail against the Lord.  I have known people in this position who loudly proclaim that no just God would allow such things to happen to them, and they shake their fists at the heavens.  How tragic and ironic that we are inclined to blame our Creator for such trials in our lives, when He is precisely the one we need at those times – not to mention the fact that such trials will not have the opportunity to have their effect of building our strength and character as James advised (James 1:2-4) in that frame of mind.  It is a lose/lose situation.

We begin to overcome our own folly only after we come to recognize it for what it is, resolve to change, give ourselves over to serve the Lord, and allow Him to strengthen us day by day.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

Mar 12 2013

Proverbs 18 – Restore My Soul

Proverbs 18:14 speaks truly:

A man’s spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?

Have you ever felt totally defeated?  Have you ever thought that if only there were someone to whom you could wave a white flag, you would be perfectly willing to surrender?  When the spirit is crushed, the whole of life can feel like it is too much to bear.  So what do you do?

depressionLearning to “surrender all” to Jesus is not easy.  It goes against everything we have been trained to do all of our lives.  We are taught to pull ourselves up “by our bootstraps.”  We’re trained to find solutions to problems, and then to implement them.  Do not misunderstand me, God does not want us to sit around and just expect that He is going to fix all of our problems for us.  Quite the contrary.  But we must learn that there is a limit to our abilities.  There are always going to be things that are beyond our control.  How about a plan?

1.  Talk to God each and every day.  Find your quiet place and your quiet time.  Perhaps you can take a walk by yourself – just you and the Lord.  Ask Him for His wisdom in knowing what you can and must do, and for His help in getting those things done.

2.  Spend time each day in God’s word.  God speaks to us through His word.  You will not find each and every time you read that there is that one magical verse that will give you insight and clarity of thought.  But by training yourself to let Him speak to you, you will receive the grace of His knowledge over time.  He has promised that He will not withhold from us the wisdom that we need.

3. This is the hardest one (for me), but the most important.  Realize that there is a point at which you have done all that you can do.  You have sought His wisdom.  You have talked with Him and bared your soul concerning your burdens.  And just as importantly, you trust Him to take care of the rest.  You trust that whatever happens next, God will not forsake you.  He will carry His sheep like the good shepherd He is, and with His help, – come what may, you can bear it.

Three scriptures, a song and a prayer for the weary soul

Psalm 55:22 – “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you”

1 Peter 5:6-7 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you

Philippians 4:4-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The song – a special prayer to the Lord

Restore My Soul

Restore my spirit, Lord, I need restored.
My heart is weary, please help me, dear Lord.
I stand in need of more strength from Your Word,
Renew my love, rebuild my faith,
O restore my soul.

Revive the fire, Lord, deep in my soul.
Stir my desire to work in Your fold.
Light in my heart, dear God, my zeal grown cold.
Renew my love, rebuild my faith,
O restore my soul.

Renew my courage, Lord, it needs restored.
My cup is empty, refill it, dear Lord.
Replace all doubt and fear with faith so bold.
Renew my love, rebuild my faith,
O restore my soul.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.