|
| Peter wasn't done Denying.(Xanga was acting weird on my computer the past few days, so I've skipped a few Bible entries here and just put them on my Facebook. I'll backdate them later now that we're running again.)
You know, for not really sleeping at all last night, I'm surprisingly
awake. I've already been up, showered, eaten, and read all of my boring
Saturday Morning RSS feeds (No webcomics on Saturday except for Explosm
and SMBC = sad). I don't know why I can't get a normal sleep schedule
going, and I just can't wake up when I want to...I need to beat this.
Half the time I'm not even all that tired when I hit snooze or reset
the alarm, I just...want sleep, or I'm in the habit of it, or
something, and that's a dangerous place to be.
Anyway, Proverbs 25. We're back to Solomon's writings again, so they're back to the one-liners.
According to verse 1, Hezekiah wrote these down. So I guess this was a
Greatest Hits collection published a long time after his death.
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
- Right off the bat, we get this really interesting verse. I have two
possible interpretations I get from this. The first is that it's a
reference to God's desire to forgive and blot out our sins, but that
it's the job of kings and government to discover and punish wrongdoing,
but I don't know if that's really what it could mean, because it
doesn't really line up with where the Covenant was at the time, and
doesn't match up with other themes in the Bible.
The other interpretation is a little more abstract, but I think that
God placed the desire to explore, discover, invent, and create inside
of all of us. People who climb mountains, who go on safaris, who become
scientists, who become inventors, all of them are doing it because of a
desire that God programmed into us. When he told us to have dominion
over the Earth, it meant that we were supposed to explore every facet
of it; make use of every item in it; learn everything we can about it,
because, as a creation of God, He expresses Himself through every
detail of His creation. I think God hid things all over the universe,
even within the laws of physics and mathematics (and other such
abstract fields of study) for us to find, and I think He loves it when
we learn about it and find it.
It's His glory that He's made plants, animals, fish, and bugs that we
haven't discovered yet; that he put water on Mars; that the square of a
hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the square of the other two sides,
and it's our glory when we find it.
Not that it helps "smart Bible people," in an argument, but the Message seems to agree with me:
"2 God delights in concealing things;
scientists delight in discovering things. "
4 Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.
5 Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.
- Another one with a few different possible meanings - I'm not sure if
it means take away the wicked from the king himself (which makes sense
as wisdom, but doesn't work with the language), from the presence of
the king in general (which I can kind of see, but it seems weird coming
from Solomon, who judged matters in his throne room), or from his
counsel and staff (Which makes the most sense, but makes the verse
oddly worded).
I dunno. Maybe we should just do all three.
6 Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king,
And do not stand in the place of the great;
7 For it is better that he say to you,
“ Come up here,”
Than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom your eyes have seen.
- Let your work and life do the talking for you about how great you
are. If you don't try yourself, then you get accepted at face value; if
you publicly declare your greatness, and have to then be publicly
corrected...you look like an idiot.
8 Do not go hastily to court;
For what will you do in the end,
When your neighbor has put you to shame?
9 Debate your case with your neighbor,
And do not disclose the secret to another;
10 Lest he who hears it expose your shame,
And your reputation be ruined.
- Similar advice, different application. Before making a public
spectacle of it, make sure you know what you're talking about. If
you're so quick to go talk to other people and have them decide who's
right and just love disproving people in public, you'll eventually do
it for something in which you're dead wrong, and you'll look like a
[donkey].
12 Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold
Is a wise rebuker to an obedient ear.
- Reach the place where you're so hungry for wisdom, that even rebuke by someone smarter than you is a great experience.
15 By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded,
And a gentle tongue breaks a bone.
- Screaming and yelling and arguing will not get your way. Being
patient and making your case when you get the opportunity and acting
like a civil human being will eventually convince just about anyone.
And break their knees in the process. Good times.
16 Have you found honey?
Eat only as much as you need,
Lest you be filled with it and vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house,
Lest he become weary of you and hate you.
- The practical, blunt honesty of some of Proverbs' observation makes
me laugh sometimes. There are a few people who will be allowed "just
walk in" best friend privileges, but, for the majority of people, going
over to people's houses too much, even if they like you, will
eventually make them sick at the sight of you. As Strong Bad once said,
"Too much of a good thing...is an awesome thing. But too much of an
awesome things is...really really dumb...and bad."
Incidentally, these two verses are rarely shown grouped, but I think the effect of them is heightened together.
19 Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble
Is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint.
- Again, I just love these observations.
20 Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather,
And like vinegar on soda,
Is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
- Is anyone else getting how awesome these comparisons are? We've all
seen it - we've been upset or down about something, and some
well-meaning person with a heart of gold starts trying to make you feel
better by telling you what a great person you are, and all the great
things God has for you, and all the good things you've done for them,
and everything they say is heartwarming and so sweet....and yet you
just want to punch them in face.
Don't just vomit happy thoughts all over someone who's hurting, because
you'll only cause them more pain and there will probably be an outburst
that hurts even more people.
Also, did anyone catch that they did the vinegar and baking soda thing
in Old Testament times? Never knew that. It probably wasn't baking soda
proper, but...still. Your science fair project is literally ancient.
That's why you don't win.
24 It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
- I'll end it with another amusing comparison about how horrible it is to have a bad wife.
---
I read Galatians 2 earlier, actually, but didn't commentate. So here's my summary.
Galatians 2
Fourteen years after the visit to Peter previously mentioned, Paul was
compelled by God to visit Jerusalem again, and he took Titus and
Barnabas with him. His belief in the Gospel that salvation came by
faith in Jesus, not the works of the law, was so great that even among
the leaders of the Christian movement, who walked and talked with
Jesus, he and his group (Even Titus, who was a Gentile) were not
circumcised, which is the most basic entry-level act into the Mosaic
law. The only people who tried to convince them to be circumcised were
a few people who weren't really Christians and were just trying to see
who this guy Paul was that was telling people to stop obeying the law.
I find it interesting that, about these people, Paul said "to whom we
did not yield submission even for an hour, that the truth of the gospel
might continue with you." While it's certainly no sin to circumcise,
Paul and his company (More specifically his company; Paul almost
certainly already was, since he was a Pharisee), refused to be
circumcised for the sake of the Gospel. If they had went ahead and
submitted to it just to appease people, the chance of preaching
salvation by faith instead of works would have basically gone kaput.
Bowing to the whims of these legalistic people who were really actively
attacking the Gospel would have killed the very message of Grace they
were preaching.
This is interesting to me because I always wonder how much should be
avoided for sake of reputation and "avoiding the appearance of evil"
(especially as far as clothes, activities, and certain works of fiction
that are considered by some to be penned by Satan), and how much caving
to just promotes a legalistic perversion of the Gospel by making it
conditional according to works and hurting the effectiveness of it to
preach to people in general. I don't know...maybe we'll read more and
find out.
I also find it entertaining that Paul refers to the apostles - the
mighty, amazing, holy apostles that almost everyone holds on a pedestal
and certain denominations pray to and sometimes worship - as basically
"the guys there that looked important, even though I really don't care
because God doesn't see them as any better." Even to me, it takes guts
to so casually refer to the Apostles as those guys who people seemed to
think were important.
Anyway, Paul makes the point that, after laying out the salvation by
Grace message, he got the approval of the Apostles and they
"commissioned" him to go preach to the Gentiles just like they've been
preaching to the Jews. Paul said this to show the Galatian church that
even the Apostles agreed with his Gospel that these false teachers have
been turning the Galatians away from.
In typical Paul-like fashion, he then gets in a fight with Peter.
Apparently Peter was fine with eating with Gentiles, which was
previously forbidden in the law. But when James and some of his people
came, Peter wouldn't eat with Gentiles while they were around, and thus
the majority of the Jewish community, even Barnabas, followed suit.
Paul was none too pleased with this display of cowardly hypocrisy (Poor
Peter...just can't escape that reputation) and told Peter to his face.
Again, we should avoid the appearance of evil and try to live above
reproach, but if it gets to a point where we're making the Gospel
appear to be on the condition of works, we just need to stand up to
these people perpetuating this and lay the Gospel out to them fresh.
Which, coincidentally, is exactly what Paul did to Peter.
The next little paragraph is so full of awesome statements I have to
take it bit at a time. Keep in mind that what's being addressed here is
that Peter would eat with Gentiles when James wasn't around, but
pretended to be a good little Jew when James came.
"But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel..."
- Note that they weren't "preaching" anything; this is all their
actions. By "cleaning up their act" when certain people came around,
they were skewing the message of the Gospel, which was that the Jewish
law was no longer the condition for salvation. What had probably
started as a desire to not start an argument had become a perversion of
the entire meaning of what Jesus did.
"I said to Peter before them all, “If you, being a Jew, live in the
manner of Gentiles and not as the Jews, why do you compel Gentiles to
live as Jews?"
- Paul just completely outed Peter here. In Acts and some other of
Paul's letters, we learn that when Peter preached to the Gentiles, he
tried to tell them to start following Jewish law. While it was most
likely not out of a legitimate attempt to subvert the Gospel, and just
out of what he was culturally conditioned to believe to be right and
wrong, he was still wrong. Paul throws down the Gauntlet and accuses
him of blatant hypocrisy - he'll eat with Gentiles, which is against
the Jewish law, which shows that he believes the law is no longer the
condition for salvation. If Peter is then "living like a Gentile," why
is he telling the Gentiles to live as Jews?
Poor Peter right now is probably shrinking into his chair, wishing the
ground would swallow him up, because I imagine Paul said this in front
of the people that Peter was "shaping up" around. This works
entertainingly well with Proverbs 25:6-7 that I talked about at the top
of the entry.
"We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by
the works of the law no flesh shall be justified."
- Three times in a row Paul says we are justified by faith, not by
works, and that works will justify no one. This is the foundational
statement of the Gospel, that the Apostles (Peter included, presumably)
all agreed on and sent Paul out to preach. Paul is repeating it over
and over to assure everyone around the room that this is what Peter
agreed to, and to dig Peter's grave a little deeper.
"“But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also
are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly
not!"
- If the Gospel we believe enables us to do things that we have to
cover up when "big shot Christians" come around, then has Jesus made us
sin?
This is really heavy wording, because this is in reference to Peter's
activities, which were blatantly against the law of Moses. The law of
Moses, until Jesus, defined what sin was, because the law was the
foundation of the covenant they had with God. Jesus made a new
covenant, and thus the law is no longer the deciding factor of what sin
is. If this is not true, then by Paul preaching that you did not have
to become Jewish to be a Christian, he is preaching that Jesus made
sinners out of all of us, which is not the case.
"For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor."
Falling back on the law as what determines your behavior is rebuilding
that which was destroyed, and breaking the covenant. Why? becuase...
"For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God."
The law kept people from God, because it ensured their sinfulness never
stopped. Jesus, by being the Sacrifice demanded of it, fulfilled all of
the laws requirements, and made it possible for us to die to that
covenant. Since, through what Jesus did in compliance with the law, we
can die to the law, we can live for God, because the sinfulness that
was keeping us from Him is dead.
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;"
As useful as this verse is for preaching how much you have to beat
yourself up to be a Christian, that's not what it's talking about.
Saying that you have been crucified with Christ means that the death
the law pronounced over you happened with Jesus on the cross - as far
as the law is concerned, you died that day and your sentence has been
carried out. When Christ resurrected, He began life under a new
covenant, and now you live with Him under that one, not the old one.
"and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Instead of walking by the law and what our flesh can do that's good
enough, you now live by faith in what Jesus did, because he gave
Himself for you.
"I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”"
In light of that, for you to start acting with false holiness to
appease people that appear to be important (even though to God, they're
no more important than you or me), then you are putting down the grace
of God and rebuilding the old covenant again. If you're ashamed of what
you're doing, you're declaring that Jesus made you a sinner, instead of
setting you free.
Don't pretend that acting right makes you righteous in the sight of God, because if it does, Jesus died for nothing.
YES. | | |
| Bible...Bible...oh yeah, the Bible!Note to all: Things do NOT get easier mentally or emotionally when the Bible is forgone because of being busy and then to get "rest."
Anyway, I'm gonna try to finish up Proverbs and Jeremiah here soon and move on. I didn't get around to doing it because of finals lately, and then I've been catching up on a semester's worth of sleep the past few days....but here we go. I'll probably be going a little faster through Proverbs now, just to get through it and to move on.
Proverbs 21:
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
- Hasty is an interesting choice of words here. I don't think that's been brought up before, though I guess it goes hand in hand with laziness. Just getting your job done as soon as possible instead of being diligent in your work will ensure you don't go far up the ladder.
6 Getting treasures by a lying tongue
Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.
- This is cool wording. I can see the "Holy cow, it finally worked!"....then you die.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;
But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
- Punish foolish people - not for their own good if they're beyond help, but as a message to those who just haven't learned yet. Once someone is dedicated to wisdom, instruction is all they need to grow.
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
Will also cry himself and not be heard.
- Ouch.
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
- If the goal of your working is to increase your pleasure...you will never have enough. You'll always want more pleasure, because it's never satisfied, and self-centered motivation is rarely enough to keep one going when things get tough.
19 Better to dwell in the wilderness,
Than with a contentious and angry woman.
- Hehe.
---
Let's get started on finishing Jeremiah too, shall we?
We're at chapter 50, beginning a very long list of bad things that are going to happen to Babylon.
Babylon is going to be wiped out by invaders from the north - their idols and temples will be destroyed and the place will be uninhabited.
God then tells all the Israelites captive in Babylon that they're like lost sheep who have been led away, taken by their enemies because of their transgressions, but then tells them to high-tail it out of Babylon because it's about to get sacked.
An interesting exchange is laid out here... God delivered Israel into the hands of these people, but then the people caught on they were capturing them as punishment, and let themselves just go crazy on them, justifying it because it was God's punishment. God was none too happy about this, and told them that their destruction was because they took joy in the destruction of God's heritage. They didn't grasp the weight on God's end - of how much it hurts to chastise a child you love who has strayed from the path...they just took joy in the punishment. There are lots of applications to this...from the punishment of children, to the treatment of prisoners of war...know the weight that necessary punishment carries with it, and carry it with solemness and responsibility...or else.
But Israel's punishment has been carried out... after this is done, people will look for more sin to punish, more wrongdoings to bring against Israel...and will find none, because whoever makes it out of this will be considered pardoned by God; their punishment done, and their sins gone. Whether this was a reference to the near future meaning this captivity dealt with their past sin leading up to it, or a reference to the new covenant that was on its way, I'm not sure. Either way, it's cool.
The next part lays out more punishment, and its best summed up in this line - "How the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken! How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations!" - contrast is made to the pride and haughtiness of Babylon, and how it's just going to make their fall that much more disgusting to all who see it. It's very poetic.
Again, promise is made of restoration to Israel, and a sword against Babylon - against their soothsayers, their princes, their horses, their chariots, their people...everything. Every last piece of their empire they've built so strongly and with so much pride...all of it is now under attack from God.
It is also noted that ostriches will live there. So....um...yeah...take that
This was a cool chapter....
Anyway, that's all for now. It's good to be back.
| | |
| I did, in fact, do Bible reading over the last couple days, but it was during my lunch breaks at work and I wasn't reading in Proverbs or Jeremiah and wasn't really keeping notes.
Anyway, I was going to try to get to the end of Jeremiah today, but I'm really just in a Proverbs mood, and I only have about an hour before heading off to work, so I'm just sticking with Proverbs.
Chapter 16:
3 Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established.
- Different translations seem to change this meaning from "Your thoughts will be stable" to "What you think will happen." The Hebrew word there is used both ways in other places. Either way, commit works to God and good will come in some form.
5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD;
Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.
- "No, see, look at how big of a support group we have, look at our TV commercials and pamphlets, look at our man power!" - The size of a movement has nothing to do with whether or not it's correct.
7 When a man’s ways please the LORD,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- This has always been a household favorite verse, because it's rather comforting. It should be noted that the Hebrew word for peace here doesn't necessarily mean "no anger, lots of tranquility" - this word means sound judgment, equal pay, requit, finish, etc. It doesn't mean that no one will ever be mad at you or want to pick a fight, but they'll treat you fairly and give you notice (The word is translated "Reward" in Genesis), even though they don't like you.
In another odd step of accuracy for the Message, it was the only one that got this right - all others just said "be at peace" or something similar, while the Message said:
7 When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.
That's actually way more accurate to what that word is most likely meaning there. Go figure.
8 Better is a little with righteousness,
Than vast revenues without justice.
- This is a rather poignant verse for today, with all the stuff falling apart like it is. The people who have made big money unjustly (Madoff, anyone?) are losing it all, but there are a lot of people with decent little jobs who are suddenly the ones who are employed and keeping most of their stuff.
9 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps.
- I'm taking a class at CFNI on Proverbs, and we talked a lot about this verse. The word "plan" is like making a strategy, devising, crunching the numbers, where "direct" means more "make indisputable." What I take from that, is that God will tell you what direction you're supposed to be taking in life - make your path indisputable, but it's up to you to plan the way and get it done. You figure out the degree plans you take, your study plans, where you go, all of that - just make sure it's heading to where God said you should go.
10 Divination is on the lips of the king;
His mouth must not transgress in judgment.
- Woo. The NIV is good for this one:
10 The lips of a king speak as an oracle,
and his mouth should not betray justice.
- When you're in a high position, people look to you as an example and a mouthpiece for Christianity and for God. So if you're a leader somewhere, watch your mouth, because people look to you as an oracle. The Message takes some of the punch out, but gets the message out clearly:
10 A good leader motivates,
doesn't mislead, doesn't exploit.
11 Honest weights and scales are the LORD’s;
All the weights in the bag are His work.
- Deal fairly, because God is there doing business with you. God cares about how we conduct ourselves in financial dealings. The weights are His - when you deal fairly, you're doing things God's way, and when God is working with the weights, you know you'll get the best. Once again, the Message takes out the entire image, but says the point really well (The Message is on a roll in chapter 17):
11 God cares about honesty in the workplace;
your business is his business.
13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings,
And they love him who speaks what is right.
- It's amazing how far you'll get in a workplace just by being one of the only honest people there. Leaders will value those who will just talk straight.
16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Here's this phrase again...I REALLY think he means it.
18 Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
- Goes with verse 8 pretty well - better to be lower and be doing things right, than to be doing it wrong and have a lot, because you're eventually losing it all if you do it wrong.
20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good,
And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.
- That's just good...repeat that in your head often.
21 The wise in heart will be called prudent,
And sweetness of the lips increases learning.
- NIV time:
21 The wise in heart are called discerning,
and pleasant words promote instruction.
- Be smart, speak kindly. You'll be respected and people will actually learn from you.
23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth,
And adds learning to his lips.
- That's a really cool phrase - "The heart of the wise teaches his mouth." You get it in your heart first, and you train your mouth to talk accordingly. There are times you'll understand something deep down, but you still find yourself talking like you used to before you realized what God had to say about stuff. Let your heart teach your mouth.
26 The person who labors, labors for himself,
For his hungry mouth drives him on.
- This one is interesting. The King James and the New King James said it basically like that (King James said "craveth it of him" where the NKJV said "drives him on" but the NIV, NASB, NLT, and the Message said it more like:
26A worker's appetite works for him,
For his hunger urges him on. (NASB)
- These made the entire thing focus on how the appetite is driving the word. Instead of just "Whoever labors is doing it for himself, becuase he's hungry" like the KJs, the others make the point "Being hungry is good, because it makes you work." I looked this one up in the Hebrew, and it's only a five-word sentence (Nephesh amel amal peh akaph.) so it's weird that we have all of these long translations of it.
I think the KJs just kind of missed the point here, because it seems like the point here really is that a hungry worker will always work harder than one who is not.
I'm not sure why this verse is sticking out to me so much...I'm gonna have to come back to this one and look at it more. Anyone else have any thoughts about what lesson this verse is trying to teach us? Leave me comments.
31 The silver-haired head is a crown of glory,
If it is found in the way of righteousness.
I love the Biblical reverence towards old age. You get to live to an old age by living a wise life - if you've made it that long, and still have enough hair to be gray, you've done something right and deserve a little more respect.
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
- I don't think much more needs to be said. Just take that in.
That's all for now. See you later.
| | |
| Finishing up...I said I would finish, and I will.
By the way, my small group (long live the guild!) is going to have the best flag ever - it has the power of math behind its transference from the computer to the flag. We spent over an hour working on it and all we had to show was a penciled in grid and five dots along the edges at various points, but those became the guidelines to filling in a perfectly proportioned version of our logo. We rule.
Anyway, today was good - I'm thoroughly enjoying our discipleship meetings, then me and Whitney watched Dancing with the Stars. This is a really good season; my loyalties are spread between Shawn Johnson (She did better than the judges gave her credit for. Only Bruno showed her the 9 she deserved), Melissa, and the naked guy from Sex and the City (though his tango brought the house down tonight).
Anyway, enough of my reality shows; onto the Bible.
Finishing up Proverbs 15:
14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
I love how much this is drilled in. It's all about your love of wisdom; your love of living a right life. The Message actually nailed this one:
14 An intelligent person is always eager to take in more truth;
fools feed on fast-food fads and fancies.
There are those who study everything, retain what they see as the truth from, and constantly seek to build. Others follow whatever fad craze of the moment is for "smart" people and really have no idea what's going on behind it ("OMG DR PHIL WAS SO RIGHT ABOUT THIS THING THAT OPRAH WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE OPPOSITE A MONTH AGO"). Love the truth, don't love the excitement behind being "up to speed"
The NIV wins for verse 15:
15 All the days of the oppressed are wretched,
but the cheerful heart has a continual feast.
A life of sin is never satisfied; getting success by crooked means carries with it the fear of getting caught the rest of your life. Constant scheming, planning, and fearing for the loss of everything your works have built. A cheerful heart lived with God, however, has assurance even if everything does fall apart, because they have a broader perspective.
17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.
Family first. Always.
19 The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
Self-explanatory; I just really like that one. If you're lazy, everything you do is a struggle to expend as little energy as possible; if something higher is the motivation, the path itself is not the problem.
22 Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Whoever was collecting Solomon's Proverbs has thought this one was worth writing down four times by now (I think it's four...not going back to check right now). This must have been an important one to their culture, and should be important to ours.
23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And a word spoken in due season, how good it is!
It's good to see the power of the tongue referred to positively for once. Lots of doom and gloom is spoken over controlling your tongue, forgetting that the reason it's given such power is because of how great the right words can be. Be careful with your tongue, but use it for good instead of just not talking.
24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from hell below.
This one is very oddly worded, and I've definitely never heard it cited before. I was confused until I saw the NLT's take on it -
24 The path of life leads upward for the wise;
they leave the grave behind.
Walking with God takes you further and further away from the life you lived when you were dead in sin. A perfect sign of if your attempts to walk in Wisdom are working or not. If your way seems to be leading back towards your dead works, then it's not a good sign. I like this one; it's not used enough.
26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD,
But the words of the pure are pleasant.
You know those people who you can just look at them, know the stupid things they're thinking about what's going on, and you get pissed without them even saying anything because you just know they're being stupid? Yeah...God doesn't like them either.
28 The heart of the righteous studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
Studying how to answer...outside of apologetics and prepping for interviews, you don't hear much about this - taking different scenarios in life, and studying how to conduct yourself in each one. Hm. Maybe we should integrate this into our culture more. I dunno.
31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
Learn from your mistakes; you'll end up in good crowds.
| | |
| Had some fun with Jeremiah (well, with Baruch and a bunch of doomed nations) last time, so let's go back to Proverbs. Chapter 15.
1 A soft answer turns away wrath,
But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Jeez. One of the best lessons you will ever learn, and one that is responsible for my having any friends at all. If an argument is starting, and you resist the urge to raise your voice and retaliate with something snappy, even if what they said was horrible and you have the perfect comeback to their obviously flawed criticism of you, you will save yourself from a nasty exchange. You can almost see their wrath deflate when you don't retaliate; there will be disappointment, because deep down both of you were probably looking forward to this fight that had been building for ages, but in the long run, it's so worth it.
For the record, I like the NLT's translation of this:
" 1 A gentle answer deflects anger,
but harsh words make tempers flare."
"Deflecting anger" is a perfect term for what that does. They get pissed, snap at you, you calmly answer back, anger over.
Also, if you answer gently and peacably (without sarcasm lacing your phony gentleness) and they still flare up and keep wanting a fight...they're dangerously close to falling into "Fool" territory that you may just want to walk away from.
5 A fool despises his father’s instruction,
But he who receives correction is prudent.
Once again, this is about your attitude when you're criticized; not whether or not you do what they say.
7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.
After talking with a wise person, you just feel smarter. There are also those who you just feel like your brain hurts from comprehending their stupidity after spending five minutes around them. Watch how people react to you.
8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
If someone's not living right, but is doing all the right stuff...God doesn't care. But someone who is in right standing with God, God loves just talking to them. I actually like the Message version of this:
8 God can't stand pious poses,
but he delights in genuine prayers.
Not quite the same, but I like "God can't stand pious poses." If you're living like a heathen, just be one.
11 Hell and Destructionare before the LORD;
So how much more the hearts of the sons of men.
God even knows what's going on in Hell - do you really think you're fooling anyone?
12 A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.
This one works better in NLT...
12 Mockers hate to be corrected,
so they stay away from the wise.
Stupid, arrogant people want to go their own way. If you start trying to pour into their lives, they'll get mad and start avoiding you. Watch out though - you may just be a dick and they don't want to be around you - watch who they also avoid; if they avoid all the decent people, it's them; if it's just you...it's probably you.
--
that's all I have right now; I have to work on my small group's flag. I'll finish this later.
| | |
|
