November 22-23, 2017
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Proverbs? Here’s today’s reading:
Proverbs 14 (ESV)
The wisest of women builds her house,
but folly with her own hands tears it down.
2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,
but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,
but the lips of the wise will preserve them.
4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
5 A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
7 Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not meet words of knowledge.
8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,
but the folly of fools is deceiving......Continue Reading
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“There is a way that seems right to a man,
But its end is the way of death.”
How often do we misinterpret our feelings as direction from God, instead of recognizing direct instruction from His word?
Interesting how 13 and 14 connect in themes
30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,
but envy makes the bones rot.
26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,
and his children will have a refuge.
27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
that one may turn away from the snares of death.
There is so much wisdom here in Proverbs it is hard to identify which ones jump out because all of them have value in different ways. It is no wonder someone has said a Proverb a day keeps sin at bay, okay maybe someone hasn’t said it but it is true. But it is also important to remember in the Proverbs that the Christian life is not about behavior modification, but about spiritual transformation. So although it is good to take a Proverb that confronts you and reflect on your life and do your best to make choices consistent with it, remember God seeks to write these things on our hearts so believing and accepting them as true is the first step and then participating with the Spirit’s work to renew our minds with them and then as He empowers them as He brings them to light in conviction, we make right choices but they are based on what the Spirit has done and not what we are doing on our own. It is quite comforting that this work of sanctification is not our work alone and God provides grace and mercy all around to provide for our success and failure in it.
I do like 14:12 though. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” That is why it is so important to be guided by God’s word than some subjective analysis of what appears to be right or good.
And verse 30, “A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones”.