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.]
[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.
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.
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