The 'BARKING OWL' always has something to say, and like the feathered version, can be either WISE...............or ANNOYING!







Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 27th on Proverbs 27:9-12


[If you have been here before, in May, then you might want to skip down below the green for today's post.]


"Thirty days hath September, 
April, June and November
All the rest have 31
Except February which has 28
Except during leap year when it has 29"

NO I DID NOT WRITE THIS "POEM"!  (Talk about free verse!)

Why didn't somebody just point out that the four months that do NOT have 31 days (except February, and everyone knows all about February The Exceptional) come every other month except that there is no 30 day month between July and August?  The silly poem above mixes up the order just to hide the fact that the real 30 day months come in two orderly pairs: April/June and September/November.  Can somebody please write a non-silly poem for us that will make this clear, and stick in our minds, but without gooping them up with exceptions (and please just leave February out of it!)?

And to make matters (far) worse, MILLERWRITES has created a Proverbs Pull-A-Part Plan that decimates that fine collection of wisdom in the book of Proverbs, by spreading commentary on each chapter out over 7 months (the good 31 day months)!  Oh don't ask me to explain his system.  You can try to decipher what he said about it at the top of any P31P posts from January or March if you like, or just follow along this month and figure it out.
All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied here from Biblegateway.com


REMEMBER: My ideas may be oh so mesmerizing, but you will get more benefit from simply reading the chapter itself!


So here I offer my amateur comments on verses 9-12.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).


PROVERBS 27

1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.


2 Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth;
an outsider, and not your own lips.


3 Stone is heavy and sand a burden,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.


4 Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
but who can stand before jealousy?


5 Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.


6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.


7 One who is full loathes honey from the comb,
but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.


8 Like a bird that flees its nest
is anyone who flees from home.


9 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice.


9) "Heartfelt advice" is always a good thing.  Even if the idea expressed may sting, knowing it is given with love and sincerity makes all the difference.  In fact........I've been meaning to shape you up, so give me a call and I'll talk!  Only kidding!  

10 Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family,
and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you—
better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.

10) I guess it's OK to go to your relative's house when disaster strikes them; if you want to bring non judgmental help, but rely on the good relations established with your neighbors when trouble comes.  Interesting.

I like the part about not forsaking "your friend or a friend of your family".  This is probably more important than we realize.  Except that Solomon forgot to call it "network
ing".

11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart;

then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.

11) Knowing your son is wise, does cover a lot of other pains.  Funny how that works.

12 The prudent see danger and take refuge,
but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

12) I think about this proverb a lot.  And I actually replaced a bad tire on my Explorer this week BEFORE it failed me on the highway in a rainstorm on the way to work and threw me into a ditch where I rolled over and over and killed three other people!  Whew!  That was close! Thanks Solomon!

13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.


14 If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning,
it will be taken as a curse.


15 A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping
of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind
or grasping oil with the hand.


17 As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.


18 The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and whoever protects their master will be honored.


19 As water reflects the face,
so one’s life reflects the heart.[a]


20 Death and Destruction[b] are never satisfied,
and neither are human eyes.


21 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but people are tested by their praise.


22 Though you grind a fool in a mortar,
grinding them like grain with a pestle,
you will not remove their folly from them.


23 Be sure you know the condition of your flocks,
give careful attention to your herds;
24 for riches do not endure forever,
and a crown is not secure for all generations.
25 When the hay is removed and new growth appears
and the grass from the hills is gathered in,
26 the lambs will provide you with clothing,
and the goats with the price of a field.
27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family
and to nourish your female servants.




By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

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