The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting May 22nd on Proverbs 22:11-16

[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 11-16.  Today's inspired verses are in red, and my comments are neither       (neither inspired, nor red).

PROVERBS 22

1 A good name is more desirable than great riches;
to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.


2 Rich and poor have this in common:
The Lord is the Maker of them all.


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


4 Humility is the fear of the Lord;
its wages are riches and honor and life.


5 In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,
but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.


6 Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it.


7 The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.


8 Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,
and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.


9 The generous will themselves be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.


10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;
quarrels and insults are ended.


11 One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace
will have the king for a friend.

11)  I worked with a guy years ago who could talk a Packer fan into rooting for the Bears!  We used to call such a guy a "schmoozer."  But I think the person described here is much more than that.  He is genuine.  He actually does "love a pure heart" and his speaking "with grace" is not calculated to charm.  The trick is for the King to discern the authentic loyal friend, from the schmoozer.

12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.

12) In this campaign season I hear so many "words of the unfaithful" thrown out there.  This is how I see so many ads and talking points that deliberately veer away from taking a real stand on a real issue.  When a candidate is afraid that his worldview position is untenable or unpopular, he avoids "knowledge" and ends up only frustrating himself with "unfaithful (to the truth) words."


13 The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!”

13) Solomon leaves us on our own here, to finish the typical second half of the proverb.  It is usually either an emphasis of the preliminary statement, or a contrasting revelation.  This one seems to call for a contrast.  Something like... 

The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! 
I’ll be killed in the public square!”

"But the courageous runs out to protect his friends!"


14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;
a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.

14) Does the Lord actually SEND the adulterous woman to punish someone?  I don't think so.  But "a man who is under the Lord's wrath" is there for a reason.  He has previously demonstrated his rebellion against God and because he is in such a state, God predicts that adultery is just one more of the bad choices he is likely to succumb to.  Since the man avoids God's truth, he will probably fall for the lie of the seductress.

15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.

15) What a shame that so many generations (perhaps every third or fourth?) are "protected" from the rod of discipline by societies ever oscillating moral outrages.  Right now, America is in the mood for choosing "hearts full of folly" in lieu of the "rod of discipline".  When the deeds of such folly again overwhelm us all, the pendulum (hopefully) will swing back, and a new generation will grow up delivered from such ruin.

16 One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth
and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.

16) The first "one" is represented well in so many books and movies.  The factory owner who doesn't care, or the corrupt politician driving through the big deal to "make a killing" make us all sick.  And then there is the other "one" with the brown nose and the "schmoozing" compliments that weedle into good graces:  More sick.

Thirty Sayings of the Wise
Saying 1

17 Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;
apply your heart to what I teach,
18 for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart
and have all of them ready on your lips.
19 So that your trust may be in the Lord,
I teach you today, even you.
20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve?
Saying 2


22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
23 for the Lord will take up their case
and will exact life for life.
Saying 3


24 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,
do not associate with one easily angered,
25 or you may learn their ways
and get yourself ensnared.
Saying 4


26 Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge
or puts up security for debts;
27 if you lack the means to pay,
your very bed will be snatched from under you.
Saying 5


28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone
set up by your ancestors.
Saying 6


29 Do you see someone skilled in their work?
They will serve before kings;
they will not serve before officials of low rank.










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

The Proverbs 31 Project: Commenting March 13th on Proverbs 13:4-7

                   March 13th?     Read Proverbs 13!

[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, 4-7, are highlighted in red

                                          (and my questionable comments are in blue).

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.


4) A sluggard has plenty of time to sit (or lay) and think about all the things he wants.  Did you ever sit too long with a department store catalog, or even a weekly flyer from the home improvement store?  All of a sudden you find yourself craving things you never even knew you wanted!  My downfall is Menards.  So I decided not to even look at all the cool stuff I could add to my home, or the great tools I've been barely doing without, until I am actually planning a project, and have the cash available to go make the purchase.


The diligent, on the other hand, brings his desires to fruition by, guess what; doing the work!  Then he is satisfied with the job being done, and rewarded in his spirit by the positive feeling of accomplishment.  This is how we are made.
5 The righteous hate what is false,
but the wicked make themselves a stench
and bring shame on themselves.


5) There are so many lies thrown at us every day.  The "father of lies" (Satan) has many deceitful strategies.  I think that one of them is to overwhelm objections to deception by the numbers.  One lie can be resisted simply, by revealing the truth through testimony or evidence.  Three dozen lies at once, and the resistor gets weary and is discouraged as he begins to look like a whiner.


The good news here as that in God's economy, there really is no such thing as the perfect crime.  One slip up exposes the offense and the whole house of cards collapses with a crash of shame.
6 Righteousness guards the person of integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.


6) Thankfully, this righteousness is a gift from God.  Only Christ is truly righteous, but He shares, or bestows His righteousness on those who trust their lives to Him.  One of the ways it "guards the person of integrity" is by covering him.  God sees the forgiveness through Christ in that robe, instead of the original wickedness that would otherwise see the sinner "overthrown".

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


7) "The Prince and the Pauper" story comes to mind.  The bored young king and the honest pauper somehow find that they are look-a-likes and trade places.  All kinds of mischief ensues as they each discover the intricacies of the other's world.  The proverb today though, I think, is referring to the pride of man.


Sometimes a poorer person is so jealous of, and embarrassed by his well to do neighbors that he tries to put on a show of keeping up.  He has a double mortgage and deals with collection calls all day and night, but he sure looks like he's doing well!


And sometimes the rich plea for sympathy because their stock collapsed and now they are forced to live (gasp!) on a mere $15,000 per month!  While pretending to be so poor, they make themselves miserable because they have to wait until NEXT YEAR to upgrade their yacht.


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

9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.

10 Where there is strife, there is pride,
but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

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.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 13:15 Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Proverbs 13:16 Or prudent protect themselves through