The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July 1st on Proverbs 1:13-19

Got 31 days in the month? 

God's got 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs! 

What a coincidence!

For each date then, again this month, you will find commentary on a few verses from the corresponding chapter. There are 7 months in the year with 31 days, so I divided each chapter into 7 parts and spread them out so that each verse will be reviewed on the date related to its chapter by the same number name.  No, I am not deliberately trying to make this explanation complicated! (But, if you can explain my system any better than I have tried to do in the past three 31-day months, there is probably a proverb proclaiming your wisdom, and you will be recognized here for your high achievement!).

Below this introduction you will find the whole chapter representing today's date, with this month's share of verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments on each one low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 1

Purpose and Theme

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:


2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
knowledge and discretion to the young—
5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.


7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools[c] despise wisdom and instruction.

Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9 They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;

13) How easy it is to justify our sin  ("But honey, if you help me cheat that no good store I'll be able to buy you that new car you want.").  We can always list some kind of payoff that makes it easier to lie or cheat or steal or gossip.

14 cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot ”—

14) Do they really need YOU to join them?  Will your involvement make their crime possible, or are you pressured to join them in shoplifting or smoking or drinking or vandalism or selling dope, just so they can spread their guilt around?  So they can minimize their personal conviction?

15 my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;

15) Listen to your father!  He is the only one truly on your side, and he knows what's really going on here!

16 for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.

16) Perhaps you think YOU will be the slowing voice of peace and reason once you have joined the gang.  No.  You will be caught in the hurry of evil and go down with the rest before you know what's happening.

17 How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!

17) That's why the corrupt nature of your tempting friends is so well hidden.  They intend for you to have the wrong, favorable impression.  Of course you like (most) of their traits, and sympathize with the rest.  But you are either already too corrupted to care where they will take you down, or too innocent to recognize the trap.  Listen to your father!

18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!

18) This is their ultimate destiny, yes, but that is no consolation to a potential initiate, or much real comfort to their victims.  God will justly punish all the unrepentant perpetrators from all times.  Don't be one of them.

19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.

19) So the "ill-gotten gain" leads to... .what benefit?  Please take the narrow path that leads to life.


Wisdom’s Rebuke

20 Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21 on top of the wall[d] she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:


22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25 since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26 I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you —
27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.


28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
29 since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30 Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31 they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32 For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.”





[Anyone willing to author an explanation of my system, let me know, and if it makes more sense than my attempts (how could it not?) I will use it in October.]



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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 21st on Proverbs 21:11-15

[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 here 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).

PROVERBS 21

1 In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water
that he channels toward all who please him.


2 A person may think their own ways are right,
but the Lord weighs the heart.


3 To do what is right and just
is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.


4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin.


5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.


6 A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.[a]


7 The violence of the wicked will drag them away,
for they refuse to do what is right.


8 The way of the guilty is devious,
but the conduct of the innocent is upright.


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


10 The wicked crave evil;
their neighbors get no mercy from them.


11 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;
by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge.

11) This makes easy sense.


12 The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked
and brings the wicked to ruin.

12) It does society good when crack houses etc. are torn down.


13 Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor
will also cry out and not be answered.

13) This is one of those promises God makes, that we don't really want to hear.  And giving a homeless schmoozer a dollar to get him away does not count.


14 A gift given in secret soothes anger,
and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

14) OK, but is that second part ever justified?

15 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous
but terror to evildoers.


15) So can justice be defined by who it brings joy to, vs. who it terrorizes?  Or can the righteous and evildoers be designated by their respective response to justice?  Both sides of the coin seem to be subjective here, but the truth of the matter is that all people everywhere are able to make all the judgments necessary to recognize all three entities: justice, the righteous, and the evildoers.  There is a natural standard; inborn, and known by all, regarding every important behavior class.  


Notice that the righteous are joy filled, even if the justice done upon them if deserved by their wayward acts.  And that the evildoers complain and cower, even if they know their guilt.  Hell will probably not be a cool gathering place of camaraderie for the rebellious, who will celebrate their fellowship under the pall of "so called" justice. No:  But more likely a riotous and terrible maelstrom of denial and rebellion against justice's final word, until the true terror of reality and eternity combined, takes hold.


2 Corinthians 6:2 reminds us not to delay.
For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,
and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.





16 Whoever strays from the path of prudence
comes to rest in the company of the dead.


17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.


18 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
and the unfaithful for the upright.


19 Better to live in a desert
than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.


20 The wise store up choice food and olive oil,
but fools gulp theirs down.


21 Whoever pursues righteousness and love
finds life, prosperity[c] and honor.


22 One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty
and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.


23 Those who guard their mouths and their tongues
keep themselves from calamity.


24 The proud and arrogant person —“Mocker” is his name—
behaves with insolent fury.


25 The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,
because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he craves for more,
but the righteous give without sparing.


27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable —
how much more so when brought with evil intent!


28 A false witness will perish,
but a careful listener will testify successfully.


29 The wicked put up a bold front,
but the upright give thought to their ways.


30 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan
that can succeed against the Lord.


31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
but victory rests with the Lord.




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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting March 29th on Proverbs 29:5-8

                   March 29th?     Read Proverbs 29!

[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, as most months have 31 days, so 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 29

1 Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.

2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
when the wicked rule, the people groan.

3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

4 By justice a king gives a country stability,
but those who are greedy for[a] bribes tear it down.

5 Those who flatter their neighbors
are spreading nets for their feet.

5) So using flattery has a purpose.  And specifically, the purpose of gaining something from the flatteree and likely something the flatteree does not necessarily want to part with, but will slide over to the flatterer after enough buttering up.  Watch out for over-the-top compliments.  You probably already know the truth of what flavorable comments you deserve so be careful to dismiss the extra mushy bonus butter.

6 Evildoers are snared by their own sin,
but the righteous shout for joy and are glad.

6) Unexpected opposites are indicated again in this proverb.  If you were asked for the opposite of being 'snared', would you say 'shouting for joy and being glad'?  But these are signs indicative of something very basic being very appreciated: Freedom!  Which is, of course, the very opposite of snaredom.  Many times in scripture sinfulness is likened to being enslaved, and our salvation in Jesus is essentially being freed from that bondage.  As an example:

Romans 6:18
You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.  (Ooops. Somebody left out the appropriate exclamation points.  Allow me.) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

7 The righteous care about justice for the poor,
but the wicked have no such concern.

7) Solomon is not talking about our modern "social justice":  A utopian vision of equalizing the standard of living of all by using the police power of the state to redistribute wealth.  His idea here (I think) is more about the individual righteous person speaking up when the equal rights of his poor neighbor are being abused.  The wicked would be the ones taking wicked advantage, and using the system, the unjust system, for their own benefit.  

Think of "The Good Samaritan" that Jesus told us about.  The wicked were the armed robbers, and they guys who ignored the beaten man and walked on.  The righteous Samaritan cared about real time justice--food, shelter, medical treatment.  The actual articles needed in the moment by the man whose life was unjustly waylaid on the road.  See Luke 10: 25-37 
8 Mockers stir up a city,
but the wise turn away anger.

8) Who wants to be in an angry city?  Mockers, that's who.  People who can't get their way through reasoned arguments, through polite discussion or even through majority rule AND who lack humility, grace and tolerance finally turn to the mockery device as a last resort.  We call it protest around here and even embrace the very mocking title of "occupy" to "stir up a city".  No the wise turn away anger.  They already paid for all those cars and store windows and capital buildings once and are loathe to do it again.

9 If a wise person goes to court with a fool,
the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

10 The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity
and seek to kill the upright.

11 Fools give full vent to their rage,
but the wise bring calm in the end.

12 If a ruler listens to lies,
all his officials become wicked.

13 The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.

14 If a king judges the poor with fairness,
his throne will be established forever.

15 A rod and a reprimand impart wisdom,
but a child left undisciplined disgraces its mother.

16 When the wicked thrive, so does sin,
but the righteous will see their downfall.

17 Discipline your children, and they will give you peace;
they will bring you the delights you desire.

18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

19 Servants cannot be corrected by mere words;
though they understand, they will not respond.

20 Do you see someone who speaks in haste?
There is more hope for a fool than for them.

21 A servant pampered from youth
will turn out to be insolent.

22 An angry person stirs up conflict,
and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.

23 Pride brings a person low,
but the lowly in spirit gain honor.

24 The accomplices of thieves are their own enemies;
they are put under oath and dare not testify.

25 Fear of man will prove to be a snare,
but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

26 Many seek an audience with a ruler,
but it is from the LORD that one gets justice.

27 The righteous detest the dishonest;
the wicked detest the upright.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 29:4 Or who give

The Proverbs 31 Project; Commenting January 29th on Proverbs 29:1-4

January 29;  Proverbs 29  Verses 1-4


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

Christians looking for a simple way to review the Bible regularly, have long been convenienced by the fact that the book of Proverbs has 31 chapters, the same number as most of our months.  Each chapter includes multiple bite-sized verses (uhm, proverbs) and can be read through simply in one sitting, one appropriately numbered chapter per day through the month.  A person might read through the Proverbs a chapter a day during any month, but why mess with your head (reading an extra chapter on one, two, or three days!) like that when there are 7 months every year perfectly suited for the endeavor?

My idea here is to reprint about 1/7 of the verses from each day's chapter throughout this year, every time a 31 day month pops up, and then offer a few comments from The Barking Owl.  So in January, we will get through the first few verses of every chapter and then in March, the next group, and so on, until December comes around and we can finally get to the last set of verses in each chapter and complete the book's reading.  If you are smarter than I am (is there any doubt?), you will read the whole chapter every day, every 31 day month, and then you will have read the whole book 7 times this year!  By then you are guaranteed to at least be wiser than The Barking Owl , though no one will ever match the wisdom of Solomon!


[All Bible passages are from the NIV, and are copied from www.Biblegateway.com]

Proverbs 29


1 Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes
   will suddenly be destroyed--without remedy.


1) God "hardened Pharoah's heart" through a similar natural process.  He spoke truth to it, and it resisted; He spoke truth a bit louder, and it (Pharoah) resisted;  He corrected Pharoah again, and he stubbornly refused to listen.  Each time we deny the truth our hearts and minds become more resistant, more stiff-necked, more brittle.  And we too can be suddenly destroyed.  


There will come a point when the remedy offered now through the cross will no longer be available.  "...people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement,"  Heb 9:27


2 When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
   when the wicked rule, the people groan.


2) Our political system is designed so that great fluctuations do not wreak havoc with our day to day lives.  Though we are often frustrated with the slow pace of governmental adjustments, we have seen in recent years that big changes pushed through in a hurry on many fronts, is much worse.  The point of this verse, and our reality demonstrates the same, is that the policies set by our leaders is vital: it will effect our very lives, and we will either rejoice or groan.


3 A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father,
   but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.


3) A father wants his children to do better than he did.  He knows his own mistakes and detours,  and, after a certain point, can only wish his sons would avoid the same.  Parents know that their children will thrive if they make good investments of their talents and their resources, rather than waste it all on the repeated short term fixes that so many vices offer.


4 By justice a king gives a country stability,
   but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.


If there is one overriding theme to Proverbs it is simply this:  There is a right way and a wrong way.  Too often we are told the lie that every way is OK.  That all of the religions of the world are equally valid, as if opposite ideas could both be true!  Does every opinion have the same inherent value?  No!  We each have the same and equal RIGHT to have whatever opinion we settle on, but then the real evaluation of each opinion begins.  A favorite color can not be debated, but an idea about which one better matches the sky certainly can be.  Which claims in a debate on economics are better supported by historical data?  While one may prefer the ideals behind capitalism or socialism, their applications both have a record that can be studied.


If you were to make the bold claim that "everybody is right", then, referring finally to verse 4 above, you would have to concede that a king may or may not impose justice, according to his own whims.  And that those who use bribery to get what they want are just as deserving and equal and justified as those who can not afford to pay the bribes, but suffer oh so sadly in the torn down streets.