March 20th? Read Proverbs 20!
[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, 6-10, are highlighted in red
(and my questionable comments are in blue).
Proverbs 20
1 Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
2 A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;
those who anger him forfeit their lives.
3 It is to one’s honor to avoid strife,
but every fool is quick to quarrel.
4 Sluggards do not plow in season;
so at harvest time they look but find nothing.
5 The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
but one who has insight draws them out.
6 Many claim to have unfailing love,
but a faithful person who can find?
6) "Sure it's hard Solly, but somewhere in your collection of 700 brides, there must be ONE!" Ok, so Solomon probably has a point. So many people prove to be unfaithful when the tough challenges arrive. I'll admit that I came close to giving up a couple of times, but thank God, He gave me strength! "Help me now Lord, to stay close to you, and to finish well."
7 The righteous lead blameless lives;
blessed are their children after them.
7) Often when I hear of some incredibly stupid thing someone does; stupid enough to be mentioned on the news, I think about what their poor kids will have to endure. They will forever be the son or daughter of that guy who ____________! In carpentry we say "Measure twice, cut once." How about in life we say "Think twice; cut it out!" (OK, I'll leave proverb writing to Solomon.)
8 When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he winnows out all evil with his eyes.
8) There is something about having the power to examine freely. A king can simply force a subject to answer all the questions he has. Without the procedures and guidelines we have in place to protect a defendant, a wise king, without torture, can get to the truth of a matter.
But then again, perhaps the proverb is more about "the look"! My wife could wield it well enough, but now my daughter has one too! Yipes!
9 Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure;
I am clean and without sin”?
9) Um, that would be Jesus.
10 Differing weights and differing measures—
the LORD detests them both.
10) All forms of dishonesty, all aberrations from the truth, all differences with THE TRUTH (Jesus Christ) will be held accountable in the court of God.
11 Even small children are known by their actions,
so is their conduct really pure and upright?
12 Ears that hear and eyes that see—
the LORD has made them both.
13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay awake and you will have food to spare.
14 “It’s no good, it’s no good!” says the buyer—
then goes off and boasts about the purchase.
15 Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
16 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger;
hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
17 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet,
but one ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
18 Plans are established by seeking advice;
so if you wage war, obtain guidance.
19 A gossip betrays a confidence;
so avoid anyone who talks too much.
20 If someone curses their father or mother,
their lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
21 An inheritance claimed too soon
will not be blessed at the end.
22 Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”
Wait for the LORD, and he will avenge you.
23 The LORD detests differing weights,
and dishonest scales do not please him.
24 A person’s steps are directed by the LORD.
How then can anyone understand their own way?
25 It is a trap to dedicate something rashly
and only later to consider one’s vows.
26 A wise king winnows out the wicked;
he drives the threshing wheel over them.
27 The human spirit is[
a] the lamp of the LORD
that sheds light on one’s inmost being.
28 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through love his throne is made secure.
29 The glory of young men is their strength,
gray hair the splendor of the old.
30 Blows and wounds scrub away evil,
and beatings purge the inmost being.
Footnotes:
Proverbs 20:27 Or A person’s words are
Zig Ziglar said that "we believe what we tell ourselves". Fair enough. But do not take this to mean that whatever we tell ourselves is true! This proverb is double edged and should give us motivation to be sure that, rather than tell ourselves mythical delights we face up and tell ourselves, and thus believe, the TRUTH.