365 Reflections

The sad thing about Proverbs is how often they are ignored. Proverbs 23:19–21 (ESV) Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way. 20 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, 21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags. One of the warnings of scripture I find our current culture continually ignoring are those concerning drunkenness and overeating. Somehow the broad opinion in the country where I live (America) is that eating poorly or excessively is not all that bad, that we have slow metabolisms, an eating addiction or simply a disease. It's amazing how far we go to justify sins.  Notice the warning about gluttony. They wind up poor and disheveled. This is indeed what we see as people pay for higher health costs, more electricity, and higher overall costs of living to accommodate their destructive appetites. And the warning for the son of the Proverbs writer is - don't be around them. Get awa...

Proverbs 22:17–18 (ESV) Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge, 18 for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, if all of them are ready on your lips. There is nothing better than to have the Word of God applied to your heart. That means you memorize it. You have it "ready on your lips" when temptation or doubt or anxiety creeps into your life. You see, none of us are immune to the attacks of life against us. Even Jesus had to handle the temptations of the flesh. But His defense and ours if we will embrace it - is the Word of God - wisdom from heaven.  Now here in Proverbs 22:17 the books shifts from Solomon's sayings to the words of other wise people. And what follows are thirty sayings that we do well to apply to our hearts.  Many of these sayings are focused on behavior to avoid. The "do nots" if you will. Do not take advantage of the poor, do not hang with angry men, do not put up security for others, ...

Think of this verse for a bit.  Proverbs 22:1 (ESV) A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. If you're not careful you'll fly right past it without noticing how counterintuitive it is to our culture. To have a good reputation - a "good name" - is better for you than great riches. Ask the average mom or dad in our culture what they most want for their children. I bet more would say a good paying job or to be happy than to have a good reputation.  Think of your own life for a moment. What do you spend more time cultivating? Your reputation as honest, good, and trustworthy or a higher salary, more influence or followers, likes, and such?  There's no substitute for a good name. And a good name is fragile. One big mistake can take decades of reputation and toss it in the garbage. Money can be made in an instant through luck and happenstance, but a good name takes years no matter who you are.  This betrays another c...

Sorry for the delay. Vacation and shoddy internet here in TN.  Wisdom is not knowing stuff. Lots of smart people are fools. And information alone does not guide a life. One needs to know how to interpret and apply that information in a strategic manner that benefits the greatest good.  As I have been trolling through Proverbs chapter by chapter I fully appreciate that this method is both too quick and far too broad of a study. Each verse could be it’s own study with supported texts and stories from around the Bible. But I also think that many of the chapters lend themselves to a theme. In Proverbs 21, I believe that theme is about knowing what to value.  First, in a world where leadership and important people are valued, the Proverbs show us what’s behind them.  Proverbs 21:1-3 (ESV) The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. 3 To do righteo...

Wisdom is as much about what we avoid as what we embrace. I would dare say it may even be more about what we avoid. Consider that Jesus defined the way of salvation as narrow and the way of destruction wide. In other words, as Salvation is exclusively experienced through the narrow path of Jesus' blood so life is well lived when we avoid the many dangers that lurk around us - seeking to devour our futures.  Proverbs 20 starts by naming some hazards that lead to bad habits: Proverbs 20:1–4 (ESV) Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. 2 The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life. 3 It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling. 4 The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing. Four dangers we are alerted to. Wine, angering authority, strife, and laziness. These are put together I believe because they all...

The book of Proverbs seems to move from part to part in the human body to address where we may lack in wisdom. We are in chapter 10 and the emphasis is on the feet.  Proverbs 19:1–3 (ESV) Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. 2 Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way. 3 When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the LORD. These first three verses make important points. Your feet, let by a crooked tongue will bring ruin and it reveals a tremendous lack of self-awareness and pride to blame God for your problems. First, check that you live what you believe, second, don't let desire dictate your steps, and third, walk carefully into your choices.  If we skip down a few verses, the theme picks up again. Proverbs 19:15 (ESV) Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger. Proverbs 19:24 (ESV) The sluggard buries his ...

The Book of Proverbs deals quite heavily with the mouth and the instruction continues in Chapter 18.  Proverbs 18:1–2 (ESV) Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. 2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. Consider the source of foolish speech mentioned in this passage: Isolation. The implication is the more we are isolated the more we are given over to our own ridiculous notions. Humans are communal creatures and our growth comes from a connection to others. So it should be obvious that the opposite of communion will contradict our very humanness. When we are left to our own thoughts trouble begins. Perhaps this is why the post-pandemic mental health crisis is upon us. Lump global isolating lockdowns into an already isolating culture of personal "communication" devices such as phones and what did you expect? We are at this point a global self-isolating community expressing our opinions wi...

Proverbs 17:1 (ESV)  Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife. This chapter of Proverbs largely deals with the problems created by speech. First is mentioned strife, which even when accompanied by plenty is so problematic poverty would be preferred! Proverbs 17:9 (ESV) Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends. The next troubling sort of speech is that of gossip. A true friend will make sure someone's troubled life is safe while a confession is made. But the person who travels with betrayed speech is divisive and unloving.  Proverbs 17:10 (ESV) A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool. The responses of the fool and wise man are contrasted here. A wise man will receive the words that may hurt but ultimately heal him. A fool will never learn.  The chapter moves on to general wisdom sayings. Some of the important warnings: Proverbs 17:13 (ESV) If anyon...