Proverbs 15:24-16:33 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil. Proverbs 16:6 Steadfast love and faithfulness: two exceptional qualities, both of which are evidenced by actions, not just feelings, and both of which the LORD displays in abundance: Your steadfast love, O LORD, …
Author Archives: John S.
September 6 / Proverbs 14:22-15:23
Proverbs 14:22-15:23 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD;how much more the hearts of the children of man! Proverbs 15:11 In case you are wondering, “Sheol” is the place of the dead. It is neither Heaven nor Hell and does not properly imply an afterlife. We might just as well replace “Sheol” with “the …
September 5 / Proverbs 13:1-14:21
Proverbs 13:1-14:21 A wise son hears his father’s instruction,but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 13:1 We’ve all seen it. We’ve witnessed bratty kids ignoring their parents and making nuisances of themselves. We’ve all witnessed headstrong teenagers defying their parents’ instructions and sailing into predictable storms. And we’ve seen full-fledged adults do the …
September 4 / Proverbs 11:14-12:28
Proverbs 11:14-12:28 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 Put another way, Jesus says: Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back …
September 3 / Proverbs 10:1-11:13
Proverbs 10:1-11:13 You might notice that our text today is quite different from Proverbs 1-9. I could address that here, but rather than repeat myself, I’ll ask you please just to look back at the first link from 2022 below. I’ll wait… So, making no attempt to cover all the individual proverbs in today’s reading, …
September 2 / Proverbs 9
Proverbs 9 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” Proverbs 9:4a,16a Both Wisdom and Folly call to us, issuing the same invitation. One sincerely offers life in paths of righteousness and justice. The other is a con artist, whose promises are empty and whose paths lead to death. It is easy here in the …
September 1 / Proverbs 8
Proverbs 8 I think items #2 and #3 in Search the Scriptures today — seeing Wisdom as a foreshadowing of Christ and comparing the gifts Wisdom offers with those found in Christ — are well worth considering. For your convenience, here are the suggested cross-references: To those I would add the following: Yes, take a …
August 31 / Proverbs 6-7
Proverbs 6-7 Here is item #3 in Search the Scriptures today: Test your life in the light of Proverbs 6:16-19. That’s not a bad exercise. But I wonder if the language of those few verses might be such that most of us would be fairly quick to acquit ourselves, perhaps prematurely. For example, I don’t …
August 30 / Proverbs 4-5
Proverbs 4-5 Why is it, do you think, that Solomon uses such strong words encouraging us (or, rather, pushing and pulling us) toward wisdom? Why does he need to use such strong entreaties? Why is it not enough to spend just a verse or two saying that wisdom is a good thing and that maybe …
August 29 / Proverbs 2-3
Proverbs 2-3 Wisdom. Reading these chapters, I’m guessing that we’d all readily agree that wisdom is a good thing. We all recognize that it is to be prized (Pr. 3:4), that it has immense practical value, that it is life-giving and is fully consistent with righteousness and justice and equity, every good path. (Pr. 3:9) …