Proverbs 18:1-12

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.

Proverbs 18:10-11

Two places of security. One is invisible, but outshines the sun. The other is in plain sight, but will fade away. One seems intangible, but is rock solid. The other can be easily touched, but will dissolve into nothing. One is eternal. The other is merely temporal. One is the ultimate Reality. The other is just imagination.

The rational choice of fortresses is quite clear — but it hinges entirely on faith. With faith, the rational choice is to run to the LORD. Without faith, the rational choice is to stick with the material world. So, which is real, and which is imaginary to you? Are you sure?

Proverbs 17:15-28

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

Proverbs 17:17

“Friend.” That is a word that gets used quite a lot in today’s world. We have even turned it from a noun into a verb, so we can readily “friend” someone on social media. And we can even more readily “unfriend” them — which should tell us something! So what is a “friend” really? And what is a “brother” really?

This proverb is more than just observational; it is definitional. That is, this proverb tells us what a true friend or brother is: one who loves at all times and who sticks by through adversity. Such friends (and brothers and sisters) are far more rare than the acquaintances or buddies that we usually mean when we toss the word “friend” around. What kinds of friends do you have? Perhaps more importantly, what kind of friend are you?

Regardless of those in your social circle, one thing is certain: there is One Who loves at all times and Who was indeed born for adversity, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:13 (NIV)

Proverbs 17:1-14

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
and the LORD tests hearts.

Proverbs 17:3

What does it mean for the LORD to test hearts? What does testing the heart look like? The first half of this proverb — the crucible and the furnace — suggests intense heat. Zechariah 13:9 and Malachi 3:3 similarly employ the refining of silver and gold to illustrate God’s activity. One thing is clear: testing is not passive observation; it is intensely active refining. And given that that is what God does, we should expect some heat. As Peter says:

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

I Peter 4:12

Proverbs 16:17-33

A worker’s appetite works for him;
his mouth urges him on.

Proverbs 16:26

Some people are just plain driven and work constantly, but they are the exceptions. Most of us gladly take advantage of paid time off. I’d even venture to say that if we were given unlimited paid time off, we’d take it, turning ourselves into the proverbial sluggard. (Pun intended.) The reason we aren’t all sluggards is that we are not given unlimited paid time off. Our appetite, particularly the possibility of real hunger (but even just the desire for better things), drives us to work so that we can get paid. And so we see the truth of this proverb.

We know from a variety of Scripture that care for the poor is close to God’s heart. Indeed we highlighted one such verse (Pr. 14:31) just a few days ago. On the other hand, little sympathy is given to the sluggard or to the wicked person whose own actions lead to their poverty. There is no suggestion that the sluggard should be rescued from the consequences of his laziness. (In fact, a couple proverbs would suggest no such rescue is even possible; see Pr. 19:24; 26:15.)

But what about public welfare? Our current system appears to ignore the truth of this proverb, paying trillions in excess unemployment benefits. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not advocating for oppressing the poor or just watching people starve — far from it. But perhaps we need to use a good deal more discernment in dispensing welfare. Sometimes we ought to let natural consequences yield their good results, allowing a little hunger to incentivize work.

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Finally,

Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.

Proverbs 16:31

I guess I must be doing well… 🙂

Proverbs 16:1-16

Several of today’s proverbs explicitly mention “plans” (i.e., Pr. 16:1,3,9) — and Pr. 16:2 might as well have used “plans” instead of “ways.” So I thought I might focus on planning today, how it is good and prudent to plan, but that we need to hold our plans loosely, recognizing that the Lord may have other ideas. (See James 4:13-17.)

But the proverb that really sticks out to me is this:

The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Proverbs 16:4

For a Calvinist or other adherent of predestination, this verse probably sounds perfectly reasonable. But for those who reject predestination in favor of full and complete free will, this verse probably sounds repugnant (but it is still there, so…). I am not at all qualified — nor do I have the time and energy — to really address the “predestination vs. free will” debate. That’s a debate that has been going on for a couple thousand years and hasn’t been firmly settled yet, so I don’t think we can settle it here. (Some of you may already know that I frankly ride the fence on this one. My position is that it is mysteriously “both-and” not “either-or”…)

So without really getting into predestination vs. free will, what can we take away from this proverb? Trust. We can trust that, regardless of circumstances or appearances, the LORD God Almighty is ultimately in control. All those random annoyances have their purpose in God’s plan. Every tragedy and heartbreak has its reasons. Every life and every death fits somehow into His plan. And He is good.

Proverbs 15:18-33

The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 15:33

I am sure most of us have heard teaching to the effect that the word “fear” in the phrase “the fear of the LORD” doesn’t mean “fear” at all, but rather “respect” or “reverence.” That’s a common teaching, and it is helpful insofar as it encourages us to approach God rather than flee from Him in terror. It recognizes God’s love and mercy alongside His holiness and power.

However, although I am by no means a Hebrew or Greek scholar, I am pretty sure that the original Hebrew word for “fear” here (and the Greek translation in the Septuagint) does indeed mean, well, “fear” — which is why the ESV still says “fear” (and not “respect”). So I think it is worth spending some time sitting with that word a bit, rather than instantly tossing it aside in favor of something we find more palatable.

The down side of watering down “fear” is that it tends to water down God Himself, turning Him into some Teddy Bear in the sky rather than the consuming Fire that He says He is. (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29) It also elevates us and minimizes the intent of this proverb. That is, we have a tremendous capacity for pride (and shockingly little capacity for true humility), so we tend to think of ourselves as “almost God” (or even superior to God). Perhaps a little more real fear of the LORD would bring us down a notch and move us toward humility.

Proverbs 15:1-17

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:1

So true. How many times have you seen the truth of this proverb play out? And how often has it gone down the positive (soft) path vs. the negative (harsh) one? My guess is we’ve all witnessed the negative version in effect far more often. I daresay we’ve all been there, not just as witnesses, but as participants, giving some harsh word that we’ve later (or instantly!) regretted, because the “conversation” then blew up into an argument or fight. Indeed, how many wars have been fought for lack of decent diplomacy?

Modern (but less eloquent) advice to help in answering well is, “Count to 10.” The intent of that advice is to dissipate some of the emotion, providing the space to respond less rashly and more rationally. But it doesn’t really address the fundamental issue of what the response should be. It may just give more time to come up with a more penetrating, more devastating comment.

In our current political environment, harsh words are all too common (and soft answers all too rare) on both sides. Political leaders on both sides should step away from their heated rhetoric and find softer answers, or we risk serious violence. (If you are about to say that one side is worse than the other, count to ten…)

Proverbs 14:18-35

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors Him.

Proverbs 14:31

Truly, I say to you, as you did [not do] it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did [not do] it to Me.

Matthew 25:40,45

Enough said.

Proverbs 14:1-17

Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

Proverbs 14:4

Or how about a Bluegrass equivalent: “You don’t win the Kentucky Derby without shoveling a lot of horse ____.” (I’ll let you fill in the blank with whatever term you like.) Yes, real success requires dealing with messes, a truth that is apparently lost on much of our modern society.

Many people today do not seem to have a clue about where their food comes from. For them, the answer is, “Duh! The grocery store!” They don’t understand (or want to understand) that the meat they eat was once a living animal, nor do they realize that their bread is made from grains that grew from the soil. Seriously.

They want low prices for their food, but vilify the petroleum industry that produces the diesel fuel that powers the farm equipment. And their supposed solution for lowering fuel costs? Produce more ethanol, which means using corn (requiring more diesel and increasing the price of corn), so we burn down the rainforests (simultaneously producing massive carbon emissions while eliminating the greatest scrubber of carbon on the planet) to clear land for corn and other crop production. Seriously.

Don’t get me wrong. I am very much in favor of a clean planet. I think I would also like a clean manger. But that would mean no oxen…

Proverbs 13:14-25

Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 13:20

It matters with whom you hang out.

But that begs the question: how is it that one “falls into” a given crowd? We do not always get to choose our associates. In particular, we don’t choose our family of origin, so for the first few years of life we have virtually no choice in the matter whatsoever. But insofar as we have a say, we should choose our friends wisely. (Of course, that presents a bit of a Catch-22 scenario, requiring at least some wisdom in order to choose wise friends so as to become wise…)

In any case, our associates tend to rub off on us, for good or ill, for wisdom or folly. And these days our associates are not limited to face-to-face physical encounters. We can be “friends” with people all over the world, and we are deluged with information through the media, mainstream or otherwise. So take some time and make the effort to evaluate your associations and sources of information. Which ones are wise and which are foolish? Which present a biblical worldview? Which present an anti-Christian worldview, even subtly?

It matters with whom you hang out.