Proverbs 26 (a day late)

⁴ Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
   or you yourself will be just like him.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
   or he will be wise in his own eyes.


THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING! THE BIBLE IS CONTRADICTING ITSELF! AAAAAAHHH! This is a great passage for lots of debate on its meaning. I don't actually believe these to be contradictory. We have to understand, for starters, that the Proverbs aren't airtight promises, but general principles that generally prove to be true. Since "fool" is often the name given to the person rejecting God, I believe these passages are talking about speaking to such "fools" about faith in faith-terms. If an atheist challenges your theology and you don't respond, verse 5 will be proven true. That person, who prides himself or herself in logical thought, will puff themselves and their cleverness up, since they were able to stump the Christian in the Christian's own belief system. However, if you do bite at the fool's bait and open the dialogue, you may fall into several traps. You may end up fighting an uphill battle that you will never win because a hardened heart stands in your way. You may also find yourself actually getting to a place where you allow such a "fool" to impact your faith. It may begin with subtleties and small concessions to their way of thinking, or it may be with a theological haymaker they drop on you that you don't know the answer to. Many people have lost faith because the naysayers say it just doesn't make sense. 


But here's their folly: atheists (often) know just enough scripture to make them dangerous. They know some key passages and verses that drive their point home, but often miss context and big-picture concepts. They take this limited understanding and base their theology (what they believe about God) around it, allowing their minds to run wild with limited information. If their folly is limited knowledge, then we need to combat this with truly knowing the Word of God. We need to see through these arguments, know what we believe about God, sin, salvation, Christ, grace, love, justice, angels, demons, judgement, etc. We need to seek it out in the pages of the Bible and trust God's Holy Spirit to do the talking, instead of our own logic. In this way we can avoid answering them according to their own folly. 


I believe these two verses, rather than contradicting, are exposing both extremes in a situation, and encouraging a balance on the part of the believer.

Proverbs 24

¹⁰ If you falter in a time of trouble,
   how small is your strength!


Boom. There it is. You don't get more plainly stated than that.


Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!!!

Proverbs 23

¹⁷ Do not let your heart envy sinners,
   but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.
¹⁸ There is surely a future hope for you,
   and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 22

⁶ Direct your children onto the right path,
      and when they are older, they will not leave it.


This is one of the more popular or well known proverbs in the book. But I thought it would be interesting to look at this through the lens of God being our eternal father, since Jesus told us we should be like children (Matt 19:13-15). If we can become like children, God will train us to see and follow the right path. The more often you follow that guidance and stay on the path the more natural that will feel in difficult times. But we have to be like children. We should be curious, pure, loyal and trusting towards God's plan. 

Proverbs 20

² Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”
   Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.


There is a lot in the Bible about this and, while it's a really difficult concept to grasp and carry with us through our day, the days that we do will be so freeing. The idea here is that God's judgment will take care of those that do wrong and live in sin. We have our reward elsewhere! Jesus even preaches a similar message in Matthew 6 by saying those that give so others can see (earthly motives), pray so others will be impressed with their "God Vocab" (earthly motives) and those who fast so others will see how much of a struggle it is (earthly motives) have all received their reward in full, in the form of earthly blessing. Living for that final day of glory will lift you out of a lot of the stuff we tend to get stuck in!

Proverbs 19

¹¹ A person’s wisdom yields patience; 
   it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense
I don't know about you, but working through this book of proverbs has been a huge blessing, and one of the ways has been in patience. As I've read over and over the proverbs dealing with patience, I can't help but think of them when I am in the perfect position to let off some steam. It's because of this study that I've been more able to restrain myself in those situations! 

Proverbs 18

12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
     but humility comes before honor

This comes in all situations. For me and my past, I read this through an "addict falling off the wagon" lens, where the most likely time to slip back into old habits is when you start to get proud of how far you've come, or prideful enough to think the temptation is not that bad anymore. But I think this comes in almost every area of life. When we get prideful we become less worried about others. That puts relationships on the fritz and leads to arguments and quarrels. When we think we are too big to be beat, we stop leaning on God to get us through each day and we end up making mistakes that may have dire consequences.

Proverbs 17

17 A friend loves at all times,
     and a brother is born for adversity.


I thought this was extremely uplifting. It's yet another reminder that we weren't built to go through life's storms alone. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says:
     ⁹ Two are better than one,
        because they have a good return for their labor:
     ¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
        one can help the other up.
      But pity anyone who falls
        and has no one to help them up.
and Proverbs 27:17 says "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." I just love the message that we need to lean on each other and be available for others to lean on us. Uplifting and challenging message today.

Proverbs 16

6 Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
       through the fear of the LORD a man avoids evil.

I've always loved verses like this. While on the surface the Old Testament seems to be about rules and regulations while the NT is about grace and love, Old Testament verses like this show us God's heart has always been for us to love and be faithful and to fear him. I love finding places where we see God's New Testament message within the OT.

Proverbs 15

²¹ Folly brings joy to one who has no sense,
   but whoever has understanding keeps a straight course.
 ²² Plans fail for lack of counsel,
   but with many advisers they succeed.


I don't know whether these were meant to be read together or not but my eye read them as one and I'm thinking that is an interesting thought. Plans without counsel, ultimately will fail. Those where you seek advice, not just from one person but from MANY, will succeed. I think this applies for all areas of life, faith included. It is good to have spiritual advisers that we go to in helping us make decisions.

Proverbs 14

¹⁰ Each heart knows its own bitterness,
   and no one else can share its joy.


I think what this is saying is that we need to be aware of what is really on our heart, but also that we need to be cautious when judging other people's motives and actions, because only that person knows what is written on their heart.

Proverbs 13

 ³ Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
   but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.


One of the over-arching themes in Proverbs is seeing the blessing behind living a disciplined life. We will all want to pop off when someone does us wrong. The mature believer isn't exempt form this, but will be disciplined enough to refrain. For me it's not so much what I say as the tone I take as soon as I feel unfairly treated. This is one of the hardest areas of discipline to conquer. I pray that this study will help us to get there!

Proverbs 12

1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
   but whoever hates correction is stupid.


Wow. Bold words, but how often, when someone tries to correct us, even in love, fly off the handle and get upset? This hit me pretty hard today. 

Proverbs 11

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
   but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

Proverbs 10

Today, there were a couple of verses back to back that talked about laziness. It has been made clear to me that just having God's will is not always enough. God's will gives you an opportunity and he needs faithful servants to take the opportunities they are given. Sometimes it takes hard work on our part. Here are the verses:


⁴ Lazy hands make for poverty,
   but diligent hands bring wealth.
 ⁵ He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
   but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Proverbs 9

 ⁷ Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; 
   whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. 
⁸ Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; 
   rebuke the wise and they will love you. 
⁹ Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; 
   teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.


This is a great reminder! Many Christians, myself included, forget that we can't try to correct non-Christians' ways of thinking by telling them that it is un-Christ-like. Our primary audience for Christian accountability ought to be those in fellowship around us. How much more receptive will someone be if they are already striving to live for Christ? When dealing with non-believers, it may be helpful to remember that Jesus often used parables and the prophets used metaphors to bring God's word to an ungodly people. 

Proverbs 8

No post from me today. What did YOU get out of Proverbs 8?

Proverbs 7

I feel like it is necessary to go a little more in depth in this chapter. Take the time to read it. I hope it will bless you as you do.

First, I wanted to point out a theme that I've noticed in the first several chapters of this book. The author of these first nine chapters is repeatedly charging the reader with the task of wearing knowledge "around your neck" or "on your heart."

• 1:9 - "chain to adorn your neck;" 
• 3:1 - "keep my commands in your heart;"
•  4:21 - "keep them [words of wisdom] in your heart;" 
• 6:21 - "Bind them upon your heart forever; fasten them around your neck;"
• 7:1 - "store up my commandments within you;"
• 7:3 - "Write them on the tablet of your heart."

Obviously, there is a symbolism of wearing something around your neck, and it has to do with ancient cultures having amulets that would be worn around the neck and thought to bring good luck or good fortune. By wearing it around the neck it falls right in front of the heart, protecting the wearer from bad fortune. The writer, then, is trying to impress the importance of not just reading these wisdom sayings, but also carrying them with us to protect our heart.

The second theme I'd like to point out is one of adultery. In the first seven chapters of Proverbs, two and a half of those have been solely devoted to adultery. This repetition sends a message that it is one of the primary  destructive forces to wisdom (which is synonymous in this book with Holy living). In chapter 7 specifically, we can learn much about this devastating sin. Proverbs 7:14-20 is a monologue spoken by the adultress and she makes several promises: that she is holy and pleasing to God (v.14), that she finds us attractive (v.15), that it is comfortable and sensual (vv.16-17), that there doesn't need to be an end to the affair (v.18) and that no one has to know (vv.19-20). These are not lies that are uncommon today. This shows us that adultery will be tempting. We cannot make the mistake of thinking we are exempt from such a temptation. If and when the opportunity arises, either in person or otherwise, it will be tempting to take it. Reading on, however, we see that it only leads to death. "Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng. Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death." Allowing ourselves to be taken by this lets impure thoughts and motives into our heart, encroaching on God's real estate. The death referred to hear is the separation from God that occurs as a result of unholy living.

The good news is that this passage also tells us how to fight such a foe. The first way is by paying attention to that theme I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Writing God's truth on your heart is one of the most effective strategies for alleviating sin from our lives. The more we read the more we learn God's character and our heart will become more like his heart. In Ephesians, when Paul describes the armor of God, there is only one offensive weapon, "the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). A devotional life is a critical weapon against the devil and his schemes. The second tool this passage outlines lies in verses seven and eight: "I noticed...a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down near her corner," The lack of judgment did not lie in him committing adultery, but in going near the corner where he could be tempted. This is a subtle, yet powerful statement to the power of avoiding sin in our lives, as opposed to trying to stand up to it. In a world where sexualy implicit media is everywhere, this becomes an important strategy to internalize.

Jesus sent the message that the root of sin is a heart issue, and said that even looking on a woman lustfully is the same as committing adultery in your heart. These things reduce his hold on our heart and give it to things that will cloud our spiritual judgment. The author of proverbs makes a bold statement here: Just Stay Away!

Proverbs 6

I had verses 16-19 already highlighted and noted in my Bible. I love that!


¹⁶ There are six things the LORD hates, 
   seven that are detestable to him: 
¹⁷ haughty eyes,
   a lying tongue,
    hands that shed innocent blood, 
¹⁸ a heart that devises wicked schemes, 
   feet that are quick to rush into evil, 
¹⁹ a false witness who pours out lies 
   and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.


This passage serves as a great reminder that there is a place for righteous anger. As we seek in our daily lives to have a heart that is increasingly like God's heart we should also grow to hate the things he hates. The kicker is that I would be willing to bet that we can see more than one of these present in our own heart within the past 30 days. I know I can, and that helps to establish an understanding of the holiness of God and our inability to live up to his standard without help!

Proverbs 5

 ⁷ Now then, my sons, listen to me; 
   do not turn aside from what I say. 
⁸ Keep to a path far from her, 
   do not go near the door of her house, 


Today's passage has an obvious bend on adultery, and while there is much there to be dissected, I liked this verse because it's the charge that hits at the heart of the matter. Don't even go near it. Don't go near things that put your mind in that frame. Stay as far away from sexual immorality as you possibly can. This is a good reminder that the question shouldn't be "how far can I go and stay close to God?," but rather, "what can I do to intentionally draw closer to God."

Proverbs 4

²⁰ My son, pay attention to what I say; 
   turn your ear to my words. 
²¹ Do not let them out of your sight, 
   keep them within your heart; 
²² for they are life to those who find them 
   and health to one’s whole body.


What an awesome encouragement and reminder that God's word can heal even our whole bodies, and revitalize us to find life again!

Proverbs 3

It's interesting being in the position I am, between teaching opportunities and studies, because I have the blessing of reading a lot of scripture, but sometimes I get into a rut of thinking, "this would be a good lesson to teach on," instead of "this cuts to my core and I feel like God's telling me something here." In today's chapter in Proverbs I found a lot of the former and less of the latter, but I want to go personal today, so here is verse7:

Do not be wise in your own eyes.
Fear the Lord and shun evil.

I have found that in countless personal experiences, the times I know a fall is coming is when I read and suddenly find everyone else's flaws in the scripture and have trouble pinpointing my own. I keep finding (repeatedly) that it is healthy to be aware of the ways that we are less than God.

What stuck out to you in this chapter?

Proverbs 2

I had a hard time picking just one passage today, but here it is:

⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
   and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
   and find the knowledge of God.


I have always found that God seems closer the harder I pursue Him. I know it sounds cliche, but it's totally true. Mountain-top experiences are a great shot of spiritual adrenaline and you can feel God without putting in a whole lot of effort, but the times that I search, with the intensity of someone looking for lost treasure, are the times that I can see God working in my day to day life. This was a good reminder to me to take action in order to find him.

Proverbs 1

Here's what jumped out to me as I read today's proverb:

Proverbs 1:18-19
¹⁸ These men [described in v. 11-14] lie in wait for their own blood; 
   they ambush only themselves! 
¹⁹ Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; 
   it takes away the life of those who get it.


This stuck out to me because it seems so often that sinfulness comes out of selfish desires. We do things because we want to do them or the seem best for us, individually. This verse says that all those things will actually be our ruin.