Proverbs 27:1-14 Better is open rebukethan hidden love.Faithful are the wounds of a friend;profuse are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27:5-6 How well do you take constructive criticism? How about open rebuke? Do you honestly evaluate critical words to see whether they have merit, whether there is any truth in them? Or do you …
Monthly Archives: September 2022
September 10 / Proverbs 26:13-28
Proverbs 26:13-28 For lack of wood the fire goes out,and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. Proverbs 26:20-21 Have you been setting — or fueling — any fires lately? So also the tongue is a small member, yet it …
September 9 / Proverbs 26:1-12
Proverbs 26:1-12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes?There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12 Most of the proverbs in today’s reading disparage fools in one way or another. It is easy to nod our heads in agreement. We can all point to examples of …
September 8 / Proverbs 25:15-28
Proverbs 25:15-28 If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,for you will heap burning coals on his head,and the LORD will reward you. Proverbs 25:21-22 I once encountered some teaching that tried to explain away the “burning coals” part of this proverb by saying …
September 7 / Proverbs 25:1-14
Proverbs 25:1-14 Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presenceor stand in the place of the great,for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”than to be put lower in the presence of a noble. Proverbs 25:6-7 That sounds an awful lot like what Jesus says in Luke 14:7-11, which Ben just preached …
September 6 / Proverbs 24:23-34
Proverbs 24:23-34 Partiality in judging is not good.Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,”will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,and a good blessing will come upon them. Proverbs 24:23b-25 As I have said before, I believe we all have an innate sense of …
September 5 / Proverbs 24:13-22
Proverbs 24:13-22 Fret not yourself because of evildoers,and be not envious of the wicked,for the evil man has no future;the lamp of the wicked will be put out. Proverbs 24:19-20 Does that mean that we should sit idly by in the presence of evil? Do we just let evil triumph? No. We know from the …
September 4 / Proverbs 24:1-12
Proverbs 24:1-12 If you faint in the day of adversity,your strength is small.Rescue those who are being taken away to death;hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,and …
September 3 / Proverbs 23:22-35
Proverbs 23:22-35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;they beat me, but I did not feel it.When shall I awake?I must have another drink.” Proverbs 23:35 What a tragic scene! One that has played out countless times down through the ages — the grip of addiction. It is clear from this …
September 2 / Proverbs 23:12-21
Proverbs 23:12-21 Apply your heart to instructionand your ear to words of knowledge. Proverbs 23:12 Today’s reading returns to a common theme from the early chapters of Proverbs: seeking — and passing on — wisdom. The author urges the reader (again, “my son“) to gain instruction and words of knowledge (v. 12), to have a …