C is for CHERISHED and C is for COMPLACENT

My selection of the two words each day for this April A to Z challenge is based solely on their first letters, but today's C words actually display a perfect contrast. Both words, the "good" and the "bad" have to do with WISDOM.

If you are a person who would not want WISDOM, raise your hand. Ah, there you are, way in the back.  Oh, you just have to go to the bathroom? Good. I thought maybe you were an idiot!

Because everyone wants WISDOM right?  Well the truth is, I think, that everyone either believes they are seeking WISDOM, or that they already have plenty.

We are called to an actual intense and deliberate quest for wisdom by the writer of these proverbs. WISDOM is characterized in chapter 3 as a very desirable woman, which in itself actually represents a completely satisfying and fulfilling relationship. One which contributes to a person's prosperous success and complete contentment.

Are we to admire WISDOM from afar?  Maybe just wish she were mine, but settle for being alone, and dumb?  Walking along the street with WISDOM nearby should we keep our hands in our pockets? No. We should pursue her, love her and reach out and hold her hand, tightly! According to Proverbs 3:8, only good can come from such a pursuit!

Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.

Proverbs 3:8

This selection from Chapter 1 below tells us what happens to those who reject WISDOM. It is WISDOM talking to us and giving the warning.  Perhaps not so much as a woman pleading to be loved by a man, in a self-serving way, but more like a loving mother might tell her junior high kids what can happen to them if they refuse her counsel; if they are COMPLACENT about their choices.

since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

Proverbs 1:29-32

We do not want our kids to choose their way unwisely, or foolishly, but rather that they go out with eyes wide open.  God wants the same for us!  Notice that God does not have to invent horrible punishments for our rejection of WISDOM. But worse, we will simply reap the natural consequences of our actions. And these "fruits" of our "ways" and of our "schemes" are disastrous enough, leading directly to death and destruction.

"Lord please help me to heartily seek your WISDOM!  May I stop being COMPLACENT, and start being more all around engaged, as you would lead."

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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting July 10th on Proverbs 10:15-19

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 verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments for today low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 10

Proverbs of Solomon

1 The proverbs of Solomon:


A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.


2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,
but righteousness delivers from death.


3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.


4 Lazy hands make for poverty,
but diligent hands bring wealth.


5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.


6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.[a]


7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,[b]
but the name of the wicked will rot.


8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.


9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.


10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.


11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.


12 Hatred stirs up conflict,
but love covers over all wrongs.


13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.


14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.


15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

15) I sometimes fear for the rich.  Even in my simple life, I have recognized the tendency to rely on what I have: the furnace, electric power, batteries, gas stations, grocery stores, insurance.  These basic elements of life are so important, but so tenuous.  Things go wrong, and seem more likely to go wrong in recent years than in previous times.  But the rich get used to so much more going so much better that when it all falls in, how will they cope?  Poverty ruins the poor, but when it hits the rich, it will hurt all the more.  As a back-slidden Christian is so much more badly injured than a steady unbeliever, because he knows what he has forsaken.

16 The wages of the righteous is life,
but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.

16) Why do the righteous get one thing (life) but the wicked get two (sin and death)?  Because the wicked include sin in an otherwise pure gift of life, and it is the sin that cancels life, leading to death.  We are all born into sin (as a fallen race) but if we do not repent and forsake the sin, it stays intact and does its deathifying work.  

17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.

17) It is interesting that accepting discipline shows promise and benefit in a passive manner, but declining correction has an active, corrupting result in the lives of others.  Might one say then that God the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, and that the Devil is a bully?


18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips
and spreads slander is a fool.

18)  It must be better then, to reveal and even declare one's hatred as an exercise in truth telling.  At least then the air is clear and the hatred can only go as far as the subject of the hate.  But if it is hidden, hatred morphs into other perversities like gossip, slander, blackmail or murder.  It's import is lost and its potential justification is never tested.  Valid, but concealed hatred will be ineffectual in righting wrongs, and wrongful, undeclared hatred will go unchecked. 

19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.

19) Another proverbial indicator that speaking too much is a bad sign.  If not of plain foolishness, then perhaps of deceitfulness or some other sin.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.


21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.


22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
without painful toil for it.


23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.


24 What the wicked dread will overtake them;
what the righteous desire will be granted.


25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.


26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so are sluggards to those who send them.


27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.


28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.


29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.


30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.


31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be silenced.


32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
[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 July 9th on Proverbs 9:7-9

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 verses highlighted in red, and my amateur comments for today low lighted in blue. Enjoy!

PROVERBS 9

Invitations of Wisdom and Folly

1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has set up[a] its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls
from the highest point of the city,
4 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
5 “Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of insight.”


7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.

7) This sad truth is what makes honest debate and real societal progress so difficult.  There are two types of people in this world.  The wicked /mocker and the not-so-much (we are all born sinners, but some choose to practice and exercise the tendency more than others).  The trouble is that the mocker will not stand correction, and the wicked respond to rebuke with assault and battery!  The "corrector" then is faced with the challenge of deciding how to proceed without joining in the "mocker's" ways.  A fair debate requires both sides to follow the same rules of engagement, but the mocker, by definition, can freely mock such standards of conduct, and thereby shut down all hope of growth.

8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.

8) I believe here that the proverb is not really teaching that we should not rebuke a mocker; but that we should expect only vitriol in response.  On the other hand, a great comfort is given to those who must rebuke the wise, for they will only appreciate your words of warning and respond with actual love!

9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

9) This verse speaks as much about the wise only getting wiser in the same way we are taught about any other good seed a person may sow.  Just as saving money creates wealth, and laughing much creates health.  The benefits promised here are available to all.  Listening well, and having a teachable spirit have their own, built-in, rewards.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through wisdom[b] your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.


13 Folly is an unruly woman;
she is simple and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.





[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 13th on Proverbs 13:8-10

[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 8-10.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

PROVERBS 13

1 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.


2 From the fruit of their lips people enjoy good things,
but the unfaithful have an appetite for violence.


3 Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,
but those who speak rashly will come to ruin.


4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.


5 The righteous hate what is false,
but the wicked make themselves a stench
and bring shame on themselves.


6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.


7 One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.


8 A person’s riches may ransom their life,
but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.

8) "So Solomon; are you trying to tell me that the rich and the poor live differently?"  OK, so now that I'm done mocking (who me?) the wisest guy ever, I admit that I see his particular point.  One of the biggest distinctions between the rich and the poor is in their very survivability.  The super rich can buy their lives back from those who may threaten to take it.  But the very poor have absolutely no such resource, no leverage with evildoers; but must wait entirely on the good graces that may or may not voluntarily flow from the merciful. In fact, since such grace and mercy are borne from God, and are manifest only in those exercising His imprinted image, the poor are rich beyond compare, as they may better know and see God.  (OK, I don't  know that that was Sol's point, but it is one of mine.)
 
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

9) Like the rich and poor of verse 8; the "righteous" enjoy certain inherent and incomprehensible benefits in life, that set them vastly apart from the "wicked".  The wicked may even claim some comfort in the fact that they will be "snuffed out"  when death, and its supposed annihilation, comes.  Such a prospect would be comforting for those suffering life with authentic guilts, and knowing fears, and spiteful denials, and determined unconfessions; when annihilation is compared with an eternity of the same burdens multiplied and ever growing.

You are not rich enough in material or in spirit to ransom your life by bribing "the Judge" when that day comes.  Instead of stoically resisting God's conviction, why not admit its truth, repent, and go on to receive His offer of cleansing and healing and regeneration?  Trade being "snuffed out" for the free gift of "shining brightly"!

Furthermore, the "snuffing out" is just of the bright and warm light that is your life. The burnt and smoldering wick endures after the snuffing, and continues pointless, futile and regretful, forever!
10 Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

10) I know this is a presumptuous question, but do you have enough wisdom to at least consider my advice from verse 9's comment?  Not that my comment is anything original with me; but reflects (hopefully) God's word to us all.

Do my comments provoke any angry division between us?  Some discord?  Some offense?  (Perhaps the FCC should control my "hate speech" before someone gets hurt.)  If so, then verse 10a is verified.  Our "pride", our claims of correctness, is causing "strife".  Oh well.  I can deal with it if you can.

11 Dishonest money dwindles away,
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.


12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.


13 Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it,
but whoever respects a command is rewarded.


14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death.


15 Good judgment wins favor,
but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.[a]


16 All who are prudent act with[b] knowledge,
but fools expose their folly.


17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a trustworthy envoy brings healing.


18 Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,
but whoever heeds correction is honored.


19 A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,
but fools detest turning from evil.


20 Walk with the wise and become wise,
for a companion of fools suffers harm.


21 Trouble pursues the sinner,
but the righteous are rewarded with good things.


22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.


23 An unplowed field produces food for the poor,
but injustice sweeps it away.


24 Whoever spares the rod hates their children,
but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.


25 The righteous eat to their hearts’ content,
but the stomach of the wicked goes hungry.
By the way...MILLERWRITES copy is COPYRIGHTED. Why cut and paste when you can simply copy the link?

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

[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 12

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but whoever hates correction is stupid.


2 Good people obtain favor from the Lord,
but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.


3 No one can be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.


4 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.


5 The plans of the righteous are just,
but the advice of the wicked is deceitful.


6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
but the speech of the upright rescues them.


7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous stands firm.


8 A person is praised according to their prudence,
and one with a warped mind is despised.


9 Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.


9) I'll take a servant!  I do believe I qualify.


10 The righteous care for the needs of their animals,
but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.


10) It's that simple isn't it?  You can tell a "righteous" person by the way they treat their animals.  I remember the first time I heard about kids my age torturing cats.  What a stunner that was for me.  That is not to give evidence that I am "righteous", but to say that I discovered how corrupted these two guys were.  Only by grace, did I avoid the circumstances that sent them down such a road.


11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.


11) Stirring up memories, these verses are (Yoda)!  I've never had any land to speak of (other than my little field of flamingos), but I remember somebody telling me years ago that my plans were "a pipe dream".  The fact that they were probably right does not much abate the sting.  Yes, there have been many times when I can testify that I did "have no sense".  Can you agree with me, that following God's ways--either His rules and commandments, or His general principles (Proverbs), or His "little voice"--is always a safe approach?


12 The wicked desire the stronghold of evildoers,
but the root of the righteous endures.


12) Does this suggest that the wicked live in fear?  Fear of being found out, fear of one day admitting they were lying to themselves all along, fear that their full understanding of wickedness proves their co conspirators are unsafe.  The "stronghold of evildoers" is a bastion of shouting down correction, of resistance to conviction, and denial of truth.  In essence; this is the "unpardonable sin" that the Bible calls "blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

13 Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk,
and so the innocent escape trouble.


14 From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things,
and the work of their hands brings them reward.


15 The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.


16 Fools show their annoyance at once,
but the prudent overlook an insult.


17 An honest witness tells the truth,
but a false witness tells lies.


18 The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.


19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.


20 Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil,
but those who promote peace have joy.


21 No harm overtakes the righteous,
but the wicked have their fill of trouble.


22 The Lord detests lying lips,
but he delights in people who are trustworthy.


23 The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves,
but a fool’s heart blurts out folly.


24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.


25 Anxiety weighs down the heart,
but a kind word cheers it up.


26 The righteous choose their friends carefully,
but the way of the wicked leads them astray.


27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.


28 In the way of righteousness there is life;
along that path is immortality.




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 May 10th on Proverbs 10

[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 10-14.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

Proverbs 10


Proverbs of Solomon

1 The proverbs of Solomon:


A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.


2 Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value,
but righteousness delivers from death.


3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.


4 Lazy hands make for poverty,
but diligent hands bring wealth.


5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.


6 Blessings crown the head of the righteous,
but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.[a]


7 The name of the righteous is used in blessings,[b]
but the name of the wicked will rot.


8 The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.

9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

10 Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.

10) I guess any "maliciously" related acts lead to somebody's grief.  Of these, we must be aware .  It is probably harder for the "chattering fool" to avoid the trouble he causes himself.

11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

11) The good fount flowing from the righteous is a joy to behold, and even better to run under and get soaked!  But scarily, it is those hidden intentions of the wicked that suddenly come to life and hit you between the eyes.

12 Hatred stirs up conflict,
but love covers over all wrongs.

12) Of course hatred stirs up conflict.  Seems like an understatement; but perhaps it's here to set up the real point of the verse here, which is echoed in first Peter 4:8.   "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." I love finding examples of  the Old Testament and New saying the same thing.  God never changes.


13 Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense.

13) Not only do the discerning get to recognize and practice wisdom, they speak of it, and share the same.  And those who have no sense, to the detriment of many, need some harsh discipline.

14 The wise store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

14) I love collecting facts and understanding in many subjects, BUT, I also vainly enjoy saying stupid things for a dumb laugh.  Woe is me!

15 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city,
but poverty is the ruin of the poor.


16 The wages of the righteous is life,
but the earnings of the wicked are sin and death.


17 Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life,
but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.


18 Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips
and spreads slander is a fool.


19 Sin is not ended by multiplying words,
but the prudent hold their tongues.


20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver,
but the heart of the wicked is of little value.


21 The lips of the righteous nourish many,
but fools die for lack of sense.


22 The blessing of the Lord brings wealth,
without painful toil for it.


23 A fool finds pleasure in wicked schemes,
but a person of understanding delights in wisdom.


24 What the wicked dread will overtake them;
what the righteous desire will be granted.


25 When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.


26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so are sluggards to those who send them.


27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.


28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.


29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.


30 The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.


31 From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be silenced.


32 The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.



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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 9th on Proverbs 9:5,6

[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 5,6.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

PROVERBS 9

Invitations of Wisdom and Folly

1 Wisdom has built her house;
she has set up its seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3 She has sent out her servants, and she calls
from the highest point of the city,
4 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
5 “Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed. 

5) All kinds of people want to "share", or "push" the things they are stuck on.  Smokers want more people to  stand outside in the cold with them and smoke, and drinkers want you to join them in the bar, and even druggies will share their expensive dope (for a while), if you do what they do.  Here Wisdom invites us to sit down, get comfortable, and partake of all the nutrition and sustenance she has to offer, but not for her own benefit or the comfort misery gains from company.

In Psalm 34:8, David echos this theme in a way that a spiritually hungry man can relate to:  "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him."

6 Leave your simple ways and you will live;
walk in the way of insight.”

6) It is so simple to just do what everyone else is doing.  People sometimes say Christians are just believers because their parents were.  (Not true.  People often become believers despite their parent's objections, and  others refuse to believe either because their parent's example did nothing to stir discipleship, or because...they just refuse to believe.)  But why do drinkers drink and smokers smoke, if not because of the pressure put on by their peers?  And this tendency masters more than those choosing their vices.  Every class and rank of man follow the pattern set by those surrounding them, whether into bad habits or cultured accomplishments.

Did you ever see Ernest Borgnine in "Marty"?  It's a great movie where Marty almost passes up his one good chance for love because of the opinions and pressures put on him by his friends and family.  Check it out!  I found this clip that will not give away anything, except a flavor of the character.

Solomon pleads for mankind to do something other than what is expected and typically done by all..  "Walk in the way of insight."

7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For through wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
13 Folly is an unruly woman;
she is simple and knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling out to those who pass by,
who go straight on their way,
16 “Let all who are simple come to my house!”
To those who have no sense she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
food eaten in secret is delicious! ”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there,
that her guests are deep in the realm of the dead.

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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 8th on Proverbs 8:12-16

[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 12-16.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

PROVERBS 8

Wisdom’s Call

1 Does not wisdom call out?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 At the highest point along the way,
where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
3 beside the gate leading into the city,
at the entrance, she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
5 You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
6 Listen, for I have trustworthy things to say;
I open my lips to speak what is right.
7 My mouth speaks what is true,
for my lips detest wickedness.
8 All the words of my mouth are just;
none of them is crooked or perverse.
9 To the discerning all of them are right;
they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is more precious than rubies,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell together with prudence;
I possess knowledge and discretion.

12) This is great!  The rest of this chapter is told in the first person, by Wisdom herself.  Here is my response; let's see how the conversation goes:

"Glad to meet you Wisdom!  I'm Mike.  Personally, I hang out with stupidity," I said.  "I posses trivia and presumption."  

13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.

13) "Me too Wisdom.  I hate evil, especially hate.  I hate hate; hate it!  Pride and arrogance are more difficult to hate, because they always want to be pals.  They butter me up and tell me I'm great, and....hey!  Why can't I fit my head through the door anymore?"

14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power. 

14) "Hey Wisdom; if you have all the counsel, sound judgment, insight and power...what does that leave for me?  I guess without Wisdom, I'm left with bad advice, guesswork, dreaming and...protest."

15 By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;

15) "By me, kings become tyrants, and rulers pass any law that serves their favorite friends."

16 by me princes govern,
and nobles—all who rule on earth.

16) "That's nothing Wiz old buddy," said I.  "Because of me, bozos lead, and idiots--all who get blindly elected will decide the fate of all."

17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.
18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.
19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,
21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.
22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,
before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
when there were no springs overflowing with water;
25 before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was given birth,
26 before he made the world or its fields
or any of the dust of the earth.
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above
and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
29 when he gave the sea its boundary
so the waters would not overstep his command,
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
30 Then I was constantly at his side.
I was filled with delight day after day,
rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
and delighting in mankind.
32 “Now then, my children, listen to me;
blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 Listen to my instruction and be wise;
do not disregard it.
34 Blessed are those who listen to me,
watching daily at my doors,
waiting at my doorway.
35 For those who find me find life
and receive favor from the Lord.
36 But those who fail to find me harm themselves;
all who hate me love death.”






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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting March 31st on Proverbs 31:6-9

                     March 31st?     Read Proverbs 31!

[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 learned this month on the 27th, Proverbs 27:5 says

                                "Better is open rebuke than hidden love." 

                                          Today's inspired verses, 6-9, are highlighted in red

                                                (and my questionable comments are in blue).

Proverbs 31

Sayings of King Lemuel

1 The sayings of King Lemuel—an inspired utterance his mother taught him.
2 Listen, my son! Listen, son of my womb!
Listen, my son, the answer to my prayers!
3 Do not spend your strength[a] on women,
your vigor on those who ruin kings.

4 It is not for kings, Lemuel—
it is not for kings to drink wine,
not for rulers to crave beer,
5 lest they drink and forget what has been decreed,
and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
wine for those who are in anguish!


6) So sorry, but if you came all this way to learn more about the famous "Proverbs 31 woman", you still have to wait until May 31st!  (It's not MY fault.  If old King Lemuel hadn't slipped his old 'sayings' into this chapter we would have gotten to the 'wife of noble character back in January, but alas, here we are.)  Although it is my system that will stretch out the study of her description through five months!  Starting at verse 10, we will finish with Proverbs 31, verse 31, on December 31st.  (But feel free to cheat and read the whole chapter below right now!)


If you are really in agony over this then Lemuel says you should go have a beer, I guess.  Or a bottle of wine maybe.  I hope his recommendation is sarcastic.  Drinking to escape has never been a good idea, and never will suffice.

7 Let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.


7)  You're only kidding aren't you Lemmy?  Perhaps your sympathy has gone over the edge.  Can't you think of some other solution to "say" for these poor folk?

 8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.


8) Yes!  I knew you could do it Kingy Buddy!  Those of us outside their trouble (but possibly on the edge of  falling in after) should indeed speak up.  The born should protest the slaughter of the unborn; the working should protest the ruination of job creation; the free Church must protest the persecution of the forlorn and suffering Church worldwide.  


The difficulty here is that it is generally those who are not YET in some oppressive ruin, and therefore do not feel it, who must stand up and speak up for those under the thumb of calamity.  We do all need to hear the evil, see the evil and then speak of the evil all around us!

9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.


9) Speaking up is only half the battle.  Some protest movements consist of thoughtless soundbites, crude slogans and dumb verses poorly but obediently sung to well known tunes.  The 'judging fairly' is critical.  Being 'judgmental' is wholly different from judging, in that only one of them can be done 'fairly'.  The first step in 'defending' the 'poor and needy' would be to carefully and thoughtfully identify their true rights. 

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her female servants.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
19 In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
20 She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.
21 When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 31:3 Or wealth
Proverbs 31:10 Verses 10-31 are an acrostic poem, the verses of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.