Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 29-31.

Today’s passage wraps up the Book of Proverbs with more single verse proverbs followed by the Sayings of Agur and the Sayings of King Lemuel, perhaps the last bit about a wife of noble character is part of the Sayings of King Lemuel, or perhaps it is a separate piece of its own.  Both the individual proverbs and the Sayings of Agur contain a warning against arrogance and pride.  While the passage gives general warnings that being proud will lead to your downfall, the passage also warns against bragging on yourself.  The writer tells us that we should not praise ourselves, rather we should let others honor us based on their own observations.  The writer contrasts the benefits of being humble against the dangers of being arrogant.

However, I was truly struck by this proverb for an explanation of our society today:

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

I think this refers more to acknowledging the revelations which God has already made than it does to receiving new revelations from God.  I believe we are seeing that around us today.  People refuse to acknowledge that God has revealed Himself, or refuse to accept what He has revealed about Himself, so that they can justify doing what they please.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 25-28.

Today’s passage contains some of my favorite advice from Scripture.  In several different ways the writer tells us to avoid excess and instead do things in moderation.  Perhaps one of my favorite passages is Proverbs 26 verses 4 and 5

Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
or you yourself will be just like him.
Answer a fool according to his folly,
or he will be wise in his own eyes.

These two verses seem to contradict one another, but with some thought they make sense.  Verse four tells us not to allow those we are arguing with to set the terms of the debate, while verse five tells us to take the fool’s argument to its logical conclusion in order to demonstrate its foolishness.  The writer also warns us against those who will misuse wise sayings to support foolish ideas or Scripture to support ungodly behavior.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 22-24.

Today’s passage continues the pattern of those from the last two days, starting out with each verse being a single stand alone proverb.  It then transitions into a series of more complex sayings which each take several verses.  Nevertheless there are several ideas which the writer refers to several times.  The writer repeatedly writes about the importance of disciplining children.  In particular, he points out the need for negative reinforcement to train children to avoid foolish behavior, and that corporal punishment is one of the most efficient forms of negative reinforcement.  On what I consider a related theme, the writer warns us against making friends with those who cannot control their tempers, or who engage in other foolish behavior.  He warns that such behavior might rub off on us.  I consider it related because it is a lesson which children often struggle to learn.  I also find this challenging because Jesus calls on us to associate with sinners in order to show them His love.  I believe that the contradiction between these two teachings (the proverb writer teaching us to avoid those who act in undesirable ways and Jesus teaching us to spend time with those who demonstrate a need for His love with their actions) can be resolved by thinking about the reason the proverb writer gives for his warning.  He warns us that such behavior might rub off on us.  We learn from this that the behaviors of those we spend time with will influence our behaviors.  Therefore, we must make sure that we spend large amounts of time around those who model the types of behavior which Christ encourages us to imitate, while not excluding those who fail to do so.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 18-21.

Today’s passage continues the collection of short proverbs.  It continues to give examples of the importance of controlling both your temper and your tongue.  It also reiterates that we make plans, but only those plans which fit into God’s purpose will come to fruition.  Today’s passage contains several proverbs which speak to me.  He tells us that a good wife is a gift from God.  Every time I read this passage I am reminded to thank God for the wife He gave me.  For me, the writer’s exhortations for patience runs right into that, as it took me a long time to find my wife.  However, seeking a life mate is only one area where patience is essential.  The proverb writer warns that being hasty leads us to make poor decisions.  Seek counsel and patiently consider your options before making any important decision.  The proverbs in today’s passage cover many more subjects.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 14-17.

I found today’s passage challenging to write on because it is composed entirely of some of the proverbs for which this book is named (I know, I write this every year).   For the most part, these proverbs do not have a theme and are all useful lessons in wisdom.  However, there are a few ideas which the writer comes back to again and again.  The writer tells us that wisdom teaches us to control our tempers and not allow ourselves to let anger, or other emotions, control our actions or our tongues.  For that matter, the writer reminds us that wisdom teaches us to choose our words carefully.  Throughout the Book of Proverbs, the writer uses the word “mocker” as a synonym for fool.  It is worth noting that other translations use the word “scoffer” where the NIV uses “mocker”.   In this particular passage, the writer tells us that those who mock others, or scoff at them, have trouble finding wisdom, but those who seriously listen to others gain knowledge and wisdom easily.

The writer tells us that while we may plan our course, God determines how things work out.  If we plot evil, we will find everything going astray.  On the other hand, if we plan to do good, good will come of what we do, even if our plans do not work out as we intended.  Throughout the Book of Proverbs the writer teaches us that we should seek wise counsel when making plans, but here he reminds us that the wisest counsel includes allowing for God to direct us down a different path than what we planned to take.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 9-13.

Both Wisdom and Folly sit in places of prominence and call to every passerby, “Let all who are simple come to my house!”  So, since both advertise themselves and call to us, how do we tell the difference?  Well, the writer informs us that righteousness and wisdom go hand in hand: righteous acts display wisdom, wicked behavior displays folly.  Further, the wise accept instruction and correction, while the fool resents anyone who makes them aware of their mistakes.  Further, the writer says that Folly promotes dishonesty and deceit.  The writer goes on from there to list a bunch of proverbs which help us act both wisely and righteously.  He tells us that the wise choose their words with care and think before they speak, while the fool allows their emotions to control their mouth.  The writer reminds us that we find what we seek.  If we seek good we will find it, and if we seek evil that is what will come to us.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 5-8.

The writer makes two main points in today’s passage.  The one which takes up the bulk of the passage tells us that the wise person avoids adultery.  For the other point he writes that wisdom calls out loudly to any who listen, that it does not take much effort to acquire wisdom.  So, although wisdom tells us to work hard, we do not have to work hard to learn the value of doing so.  Having said that about the two main points I want to focus on something which is almost an aside.  At one point the writer tells us:

There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

Most of those things are the subject of many sermons and homilies.  But we do not often talk about how God detests those who stir up conflict between others.  This is not someone who gets into conflict with others, but someone who gets others into conflict with each other.  When someone tells you that the solution to your problems is to be mad at someone else, they are not trying to help you.  We do not help someone by telling them that they can solve their problems by attacking someone else.  Throughout the Book of Proverbs, and the rest of the Bible, we learn that wisdom teaches us that we need to take responsibility for that which we can control.  The Bible tells us repeatedly that the best thing we can do to address our problems is to put our trust in God, and do the good He guides us to do.  And the best thing we can do to help others is to give them direct aid, not try to get them to blame someone else for their problems.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.