The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 25th on Proverbs 25:9-12

[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 25

More Proverbs of Solomon

1 These are more proverbs of Solomon, compiled by the men of Hezekiah king of Judah:


2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
3 As the heavens are high and the earth is deep,
so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.


4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
5 remove wicked officials from the king’s presence,
and his throne will be established through righteousness.


6 Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence,
and do not claim a place among his great men;
7 it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,”
than for him to humiliate you before his nobles.


What you have seen with your eyes
8 do not bring[a] hastily to court,
for what will you do in the end
if your neighbor puts you to shame?


9 If you take your neighbor to court,
do not betray another’s confidence,


9) Interesting; not even to pin your rotten neighbor to the wall, can you use something someone else told you in confidence as evidence!  God has great ethics, methinks!  The terribly much, as far as standards go, are so worth it because each of us becomes an eventual recipient of the good standards.



10 or the one who hears it may shame you
and the charge against you will stand.


10) This seems to be a charge unrelated to your 'neighborly' claim.  This charge, the one that would stand, is probably worse than your complaint: the charge that you are a GOSSIP!

11 Like apples of gold in settings of silver
is a ruling rightly given.


11) So picturesque!  This image is used elsewhere, as in ....is a word fitly spoken.  I suppose it's the same idea, but one is more official than personal.

12 Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold
is the rebuke of a wise judge to a listening ear.


12) Oh that the dumb kid who just made a stupid, rash decision, would stand and listen to the stern rebuke  of the good judge.  No matter if the judge is his dad, or a municipal official.  It's time to grow up; plus you still get to wear the earring!


13 Like a snow-cooled drink at harvest time
is a trustworthy messenger to the one who sends him;
he refreshes the spirit of his master.
14 Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of gifts never given.


15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.


16 If you find honey, eat just enough—
too much of it, and you will vomit.
17 Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—
too much of you, and they will hate you.


18 Like a club or a sword or a sharp arrow
is one who gives false testimony against a neighbor.
19 Like a broken tooth or a lame foot
is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.
20 Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day,
or like vinegar poured on a wound,
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.


21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.


23 Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain
is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.


24 Better to live on a corner of the roof
than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.


25 Like cold water to a weary soul
is good news from a distant land.
26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
are the righteous who give way to the wicked.


27 It is not good to eat too much honey,
nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep.


28 Like a city whose walls are broken through
is a person who lacks self-control.




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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 17th on Proverbs 17:9-12

Woe is me!  This is the first P31P post this year, that was not posted on or before its stated date!  So sorry.

[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 17



1 Better a dry crust with peace and quiet
than a house full of feasting, with strife.


2 A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.


3 The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold,
but the Lord tests the heart.


4 A wicked person listens to deceitful lips;
a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue.


5 Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker;
whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.


6 Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.


7 Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool—
how much worse lying lips to a ruler!


8 A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it;
they think success will come at every turn.


9 Whoever would foster love covers over an offense,
but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

9) One of my favorite things to do is to "cover over an offense."  It's not really a wonderful pastime, per se, but when I get the chance to forgive and forget, or ignore and move one, or to acknowledge in the real world that "there, but for the grace of God, go I", I dive right in.

Furthermore; I hate gossip!  Too many of my friends seem eager, or at least willing and unrestrained, to partake.  And then I hate that almost as often, I listen.  What is it about gossip that draws us (me) in?  Pride, I think; because we want to find ourselves above the crowd, and the chance to actively compare our select triumphs with the highlighted failures of others, is too great of an opportunity to bypass. 

10 A rebuke impresses a discerning person
more than a hundred lashes a fool.

10) If you have children, you recognize this truth.  One can be guided by a soft "ahem" from across the room, and another scoffs when the police are at the door.  The discerning will learn from the mistakes of a 2nd cousin once removed, while the fool wastes his life away before he gets the basics down.


11 Evildoers foster rebellion against God;
the messenger of death will be sent against them.

11) Overly dramatic hyperbole?  I don't think so.  This seems more like a simplification of a real life, God driven, principle.  Whether there is an actual "messenger of death" is immaterial.  The point is, for all those who rebel against God (Lucifer included), death will be theirs in the end.  They will get their wish, and be eternally separated from the God they so despise.

12 Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
than a fool bent on folly.

12) Ain't that the trute!  I met a "fool bent on folly" once when I was in 8th grade.  Walking to school tardily, I was alone on the Chicago sidewalk.  A strange kid came striding across the street to intercept my path and proclaiming "we got another one, we got another one".  In my naivete, I queried "another what?" and he answered by punching me and running away.  Maybe he wasn't in the same league as an angry mother bear, but the worse are certainly out there.  The news is full of "fools, bent on folly."  And the only real way to stop this menace from stealing all of our peace is to reach the heart of the fool, and straighten it out with the wisdom of God.


13 Evil will never leave the house
of one who pays back evil for good.


14 Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.


15 Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent —
the Lord detests them both.


16 Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom,
when they are not able to understand it?


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


18 One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge
and puts up security for a neighbor.


19 Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;
whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.


20 One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;
one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.


21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.


22 A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.


23 The wicked accept bribes in secret
to pervert the course of justice.


24 A discerning person keeps wisdom in view,
but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.


25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.


26 If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good,
surely to flog honest officials is not right.


27 The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,
and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.


28 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,
and discerning if they hold their tongues.

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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 11th on Proverbs 11:11-15

[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 today I offer my amateur comments on verses 11-15.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red, that is).

Proverbs 11

1 The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.


2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.


3 The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.


4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.


5 The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.


6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.


7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them;
all the promise of[a] their power comes to nothing.


8 The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.


9 With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.


10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.


11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

11) So when a city, or a country, is more and more populated by "the wicked" than by "the righteous", it will be short on blessings and only more and more prepared for destruction.  The speech of its citizens speaks to its future state.  But the speech of its leaders (especially that speech well received), judged by its moral content, is an outright predictor of a nation's near fate.  


12 Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense,
but the one who has understanding holds their tongue.

12) How often we "deride"!  How easy it is to find fault, and make dire, head shaking note of the most meager observation.  If we can not hold our tongues, might we at least heed verse 11 above, and pronounce a neighborly blessing, even despite the shouting once heard through that open window?  Or the vile tardiness  in lawn maintenance?  Or that despicable arrangement of Christmas decorations that grates on our very nerves?  Let us "understand" the sovereignty of our neighbors.  

This verse seems to demonstrate the Biblical prescription for "tolerance".  We may hate the effects of a particular sin on the sinner and the society, but in God, we "understand" (for we our sinners ourselves), and we love the sinner (for we love ourselves) as  even Christ loves us.

13 A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.

13) If "betraying a confidence" is done in secret, and with a hush and a warning not to continue the thread, is it still a betrayal?  Yes.  

What about "keeping a secret"?  If a secret is kept hidden in the heart and mind, but is sincerely covered with compassion and prayer, but the person goes right out in public without saying a word to anyone about it, is he still trustworthy?  Um...Yes!


14 For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but victory is won through many advisers.

14) As opposed to through politicking and speech making.  It is way too easy for the direction of a nation to be decided by talking point arguments and bumper sticker slogans.


15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to shake hands in pledge is safe.

15) Good idea.


16 A kindhearted woman gains honor,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.


17 Those who are kind benefit themselves,
but the cruel bring ruin on themselves.


18 A wicked person earns deceptive wages,
but the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.


19 Truly the righteous attain life,
but whoever pursues evil finds death.


20 The Lord detests those whose hearts are perverse,
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.


21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.


22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.


23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.


24 One person gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.


25 A generous person will prosper;
whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.


26 People curse the one who hoards grain,
but they pray God’s blessing on the one who is willing to sell.


27 Whoever seeks good finds favor,
but evil comes to one who searches for it.


28 Those who trust in their riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.


29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.


30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and the one who is wise saves lives.


31 If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!




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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting March 18th on Proverbs 18:5-8

                                    March 18th?     Read Proverbs 18!

[Please note: The first two paragraphs below are repeated each day for new readers. My amateur comments are offered below each of today's verses from Proverbs.]

Have you ever noticed that, like most months have 31 days, the Book of Proverbs has 31 chapters? Fascinating right? Well, it is at least interesting, and coincidentally beneficial to those who would like to read a portion of thought provoking scripture every day of the month. You might like to read the calendar coordinated chapter from Proverbs every day this month (I've included the whole chapter below!) and then see if my comments on a few of those verses line up with your own observations. My plan is to go through the year, writing my response to about one seventh of each chapter's verses every day, during each of the 7 months that have 31 days.  Clear as mud? That's what I thought.

I hope you check in, and leave a comment. Especially if I say something really off base and need to be corrected, because, as we will learn this month on the 27th, Proverbs 27:5 says

                              "Better is open rebuke than hidden love." 

                                      Today's inspired verses, 5-8, are highlighted in red

                                          (and my questionable comments are in blue).

Proverbs 18

1 An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends
and against all sound judgment starts quarrels.

2 Fools find no pleasure in understanding
but delight in airing their own opinions.

3 When wickedness comes, so does contempt,
and with shame comes reproach.

4 The words of the mouth are deep waters,
but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.

5 It is not good to be partial to the wicked
and so deprive the innocent of justice.


5) I just heard of a recent case in Pennsylvania where a Muslim man assaulted an atheist guy who was dressed up as a zombie Mohammed in a parade.  No, I did not make this up!  Anyway, the judge announced from the bench that he was Muslim and went on to defend the assaulter as a man properly defending Islam, and then dropped the charges.  No matter what the circumstances, the innocent must be protected.

6 The lips of fools bring them strife,
and their mouths invite a beating.


6) "Oh YEAH?" or "Come over HERE and say that!" come quickly to mind.


7 The mouths of fools are their undoing,
and their lips are a snare to their very lives.


7) Didn't he just say that?  Although I guess a 'life snare' is worse than a beating.  I love how the Old and New Testaments continually verify each other's message.  For example, James 3:5 says:
Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.


8 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
they go down to the inmost parts.


8) Mmmmmmm!  Juicy gossip is delicious!  But the indigestion can be terrible and enduring!


9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.

10 The name of the LORD is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.

11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
but humility comes before honor.

13 To answer before listening—
that is folly and shame.

14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?

15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out.

16 A gift opens the way
and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

17 In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right,
until someone comes forward and cross-examines.

18 Casting the lot settles disputes
and keeps strong opponents apart.

19 A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

20 From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;
with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied.

21 The tongue has the power of life and death,
and those who love it will eat its fruit.

22 He who finds a wife finds what is good
and receives favor from the LORD.

23 The poor plead for mercy,
but the rich answer harshly.

24 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.