For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

    Listen to the words of the wise and keep them close to your heart. How can you tell if the words you hear are wise? They will teach you trust and serve God. Memorize such sayings so that they will always come to mind when you need them.

    When the psalmist wrote this I believe that he was thinking of Jerusalem, but for me this psalm is about the Kingdom of God, both as embodied by the Church today and as it will be in eternity. Let us praise God because of His greatness. The powers of this earth have and will join forces in an attempt to destroy the Church, but they will fail. They will gather their forces and strike out against God’s people, but just when they seem to be victorious God will strike them down. He will destroy those who conspire against Him and His people. Let us praise God for His glorious acts.

    Not all sorrow is a bad thing and sometimes it is necessary to hurt someone’s feelings for their own good. When Paul first sent his letter calling the Corinthian Church to account, he regretted doing so. He felt bad because he knew that they would be hurt by some of the things he said. However, he realized that those things needed to be said. In the end he was glad that he had taken the risk because they listened to his words and repented of their sins. Yes, he hurt their feelings and made them sorrowful, but that hurt and that sorrow caused them to change their behaviors. As a result, both he and they experienced even greater joy.
    We should not feel bad about causing people sorrow that leads them to repentance. And we should not be angry because someone confronts about our sins. One of the most important points to remember is that Paul did not confront the Church in Corinth to make himself bigger or more important. He confronted them because he could see that they were tearing themselves apart in their efforts to one up one another.

    The theme continues. It is better to spend our time at funerals than at parties. Sorrow and sadness make us better people. The wise spend a fair amount of time thinking about death, while those who spend all of their time thinking about having a good time are fools. Let us not strive to constantly distract ourselves from things which cause us sorrow. God will use our sorrow and sadness to show us how we should change our lives to serve Him better.
    It is better to be wise than foolish, but sometimes you have to things as they come and not fret about the consequences (but only sometimes). In time, we will all die (unless the Lord returns first), so we should enjoy life while we yet live. There is so much more in this passage, that I cannot bring it all out.

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

     There are a lot of bits of wisdom spread throughout today’s passage. The writer starts by telling us that it is better to have a good reputation than the finest perfume. It is better for people who have known you for a while to think well of you than to make a good first impression on everyone you meet. If you spend time with someone who is mourning you will become closer to them than to someone who is celebrating. We should value wise criticism more than foolish praise. Learning to control one’s temper is the path to wisdom, because anger leads us to do foolish things.
     The writer advises us not to be over-wise, or over-righteous. There comes a point when our efforts to act wisely, or righteously, become self-defeating and have the opposite result. The writer is making the point of moderation in all things, including wisdom and righteousness. If we try too hard to be wise, we will end up being foolish. If we try too hard to be righteous, we will end up driving people away from us and failing to serve God’s purposes.
     The writer further reminds us that death comes to everyone. The fastest runner does not necessarily win the race. The strongest warrior does not necessarily win the battle. Those who have been educated do not always know the correct answer. Chance and circumstances effect the outcome of all of these things. It is better to pay attention to the quiet words of a wise person, than to the shouts of a fool with power.

     Paul tells the Corinthians that he is sorry he caused them pain with his previous letter, but is not sorry that he wrote the letter. He regrets that his letter caused them pain, however, that pain led them to repentance and to change their ways. When they read Paul’s letter they became sorrowful that they had caused him such pain so as to inspire him to write that letter. Their godly sorrow caused them to change their behavior and move on without regrets. As opposed to worldly sorrow which causes us to spend our time regretting our past behavior without actually changing the behavior which gives us the regret. The godly sorrow they felt made the eager to take the actions necessary to correct what had gone wrong and earnest in their desire to do right going forward. It inspired them to eagerly see justice done. They did everything they could to make things right and showed themselves to not be in agreement with the sin that had been in their midst. Paul tells the Corinthian Church that he had not written his previous letter either for the person who had done wrong, nor for the victim. Rather he had written it for the entire congregation so that they could see for themselves how determined they were to do right.

     A wonderful psalm about the glory and power of God. However, it is more than that. It tells us that the rulers of this earth will join together to attack the people of God. The psalmist tells us that on that day, God will stand forth and destroy their forces in the same manner that a storm at sea destroys sailing vessels. God’s love is unfailing and He will make His people safe forever. I will make the final stanza of this psalm my prayer:

     Pay attention to the words of the wise and keep them always close. Remember those words and always be prepared to repeat them when facing any issue. How can I know who are the wise people whose words I should pay attention to, and who are those to whose words I should not pay such close attention? The teachings of the wise will lead me to trust in the Lord.