September 10 / Proverbs 20:14-22:16

Proverbs 20:14-22:16

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.

Proverbs 21:15

We can see the truth of this proverb illustrated throughout history at various levels, from the punishment of notorious criminals to the defeat of the Axis powers by the Allies in World War II. But any such illustration is partial at best. Only in the Final Judgment will this proverb be fully realized, and on that Day, I’d like to be counted among the righteous, wouldn’t you? Yet none of us is righteous on our own. On our own we can have only the expectation of real terror. Our only hope is to be found in Christ, to be clothed in His righteousness. There, in Christ, we will find joy on that Day as God sets all things right and wipes away every tear. (Rev. 21:4)

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September 9 / Proverbs 19:1-20:13

Proverbs 19:1-20:13

The hearing ear and the seeing eye,
the LORD has made them both.

Proverbs 20:12

That statement is as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the physical. That is, we have no capacity to hear the voice of the LORD or see His Truth apart from His giving us ears to hear and eyes to see. Do you hear? Do you see? Then rejoice and be glad and give thanks — and do not squander His gifts.

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September 8 / Proverbs 17-18

Proverbs 17-18

Now that we are well into this Book of Proverbs, I think it’s worthwhile to make some general remarks. You might have noticed that many of the proverbs we’ve read tend to paint a picture of life in which wisdom, honesty, righteousness, and hard work produce wealth and prosperity, while folly, dishonesty, wickedness, and sloth lead to poverty, ruin, and death. As we have already seen, there is plenty of truth and wisdom in that picture. But with a little observation of life and a broader reading of the Bible, we can also readily see that that picture is incomplete, as it seems not to account for wealthy wicked people (e.g., a drug cartel kingpin) and honest, hard-working people living in poverty.

Should we, then, just toss aside Proverbs as overly simplistic, perhaps even naïve? Hardly. Instead, we should see that this book as a whole paints a much more complete picture, especially when seen within the broader scope of Scripture. We should also understand that these proverbs stand against our natural tendency to think that lying, cheating, and stealing can pay off handsomely, or that get-rich-quick schemes are smart, a tendency that is, frankly, reinforced by plain observation. (Hey, a few people do, in fact, win the lottery, after all…) No, this book does not present a nice neat “formula for success” but recognizes that the world is not so simplistic at all.

Take, for instance, our first verse today:

Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.

Proverbs 17:1

I think we can all readily understand what this proverb is saying. What we might not notice, though, is the implication (and acknowledgement) that an upstanding citizen living in quietness and peace might just be poor, and that a negative atmosphere of strife might just be found among the wealthy, all of which upends the supposed simplistic “formula for success”. So as we continue to read through Proverbs, let’s be sure not to oversimplify or otherwise isolate any particular verse. Let’s see the big picture and remember the full breadth of Scripture, of which this book is just a part. Let’s also remember that these are proverbs, not promises.

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September 7 / Proverbs 15:24-16:33

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, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.

Psalm 36:5

It is because of His steadfast love and faithfulness that our iniquities are atoned for in Christ’s Cross. He calls us to be like Him, to do as He does:

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

I Peter 4:8

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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 Grave” (capital “G”) and arrive at much the same meaning. “Abaddon” literally means “doom” or “destruction” and goes hand in hand with Sheol as the place of the dead, but with more of a hint of torment along the lines of Hell. One might replace “Abaddon” with “the Abyss” (capital “A”).

Reading Proverbs 15:11, my very first inclination is to cringe. Like Adam and Eve after the Fall, I want to hide myself from the LORD. (Gen. 3:8) But all such hiding is futile. The LORD sees everything. There are no secrets from Him. We are indeed laid bare before Him. So our best course of action is to simply stop wasting our energy in our silly attempts to hide from Him. Take off the masks and confess (that is, “say with” Him) whatever it is we want to hide. It is in that confession that we find freedom.

So cringing at Proverbs 15:11 is a poor response. Instead, I should embrace it and rejoice in the fact that the LORD knows me better than I know myself. Rather than trying to hide, I should invite Him to reveal to me what He already knows, to show me those sins of which I am not even aware, to let me see my brokenness that He has already solved on the Cross.

Yes, the LORD sees me — all of me. And He loves me anyway.

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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 same. More than likely we have not just witnessed those characters — we have been those characters.

But let’s think beyond simply receiving or rejecting instruction from one’s parents, as significant as that may be. Let’s read that proverb with a capital “F” for “Father”. Now how does it sound? How well do you hear the Father’s instruction through His Holy Spirit? Do you listen to rebuke from the Holy Spirit? Or do you just press on, going your own way, heedless of His voice?

I, for one, have far too often closed my ears and my heart to God’s loving call, too proud to submit to His counsel. But that way — my way against His — is Folly and leads only to death.

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.

Proverbs 14:12

Let’s not continue in such foolishness. Listen to the Father’s instruction. Do not reject His rebukes, but receive them in humility and repent.

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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 to you.

Luke 6:38

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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, I’ll pick just one. Let’s see. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…

A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 10:4

Hopefully, the truth of this proverb as a “general rule” should be fairly obvious to all of us. (If it is not, then perhaps you should reconsider your worldview.) It should also be fairly obvious that at any given moment we can find some counterexamples; that is, we can point to lazy rich people and hard-working poor people for whom the end results of this proverb have not yet materialized. (Even so, though, disregarding other factors, given enough time, the lazy rich will squander their wealth and become poor, and the hard-working poor will eventually be less poor, perhaps even rich.) All of that goes to say that we need to be careful how we read such proverbs. We cannot say that diligent hard work always produces abundant wealth; nor can we say that sloth instantaneously impoverishes. But we can most certainly say that (wholesome) hard work is a good deal more likely to improve one’s economic condition than just sitting around doing nothing.

No wishful thinking by individuals, business owners, or governments will ever change that reality. So if you have any desire to improve your own (or anyone else’s) economic condition, recognizing the truth of this proverb — and acting accordingly — is a good place to start.

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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 text to discern which is which, but in our daily lives those voices may not be so obvious, and most people are rather easily seduced by Folly.

To whom are you listening?

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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:

  • John 17:5
  • John 1:1-3
  • Colossians 1:15-17
  • Matthew 11:27
  • Hebrews 2:17-18
  • Matthew 11:29
  • Luke 11:28
  • John 14:21; 17:2-3; 3:36

To those I would add the following:

  • Colossians 2:2b-3
  • Hebrews 1:2-3; 11:3
  • Revelation 4:11

Yes, take a good long look at Wisdom and Christ, and recognize that in pursuing Wisdom you are, in fact, pursuing Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col. 2:3)

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