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 July 8th on Proverbs 8:17-21

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 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.[a]
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.
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil behavior and perverse speech.
14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine;
I have insight, I have power.
15 By me kings reign
and rulers issue decrees that are just;
16 by me princes govern,
and nobles—all who rule on earth.[b]
17 I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me.

17) Standing alone, this verse might give the wrong impression.  If I were to say "I love those who love me" I think I would come across as very self-centered.  Jesus tells us to love our enemies, after all, and, that He died for us while "we were yet sinners"! (Romans 5:8)  But remember who is speaking in Proverbs 8:17.  It is wisdom herself, declaring that the power of her love can only be truly received by those who pursue, engage and devote themselves to, Wisdom.  Those who do not seek Wisdom will never know her love.

18 With me are riches and honor,
enduring wealth and prosperity.

18) Then she lists her promises.  The fruits of her love that might be included in her dowry, as it were, to the one who seeks her out.  Nothing too special though: just riches, honor, (enduring) wealth and prosperity and stuff.

19 My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.

19) And then for emphasis, she claims that her "fruit" is better than the standard, sought after riches of this world.  And she is right.  Would you not agree?

20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
along the paths of justice,

20) If we would all walk with Wisdom on these paths.  What commonly endured ditches we would all avoid!

21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
and making their treasuries full.

21) Let us together seek Wisdom.  Not just smarts, or knowledge, or stats, or facts, or trivia.  All of that, combined with God's revealed Truth in scripture, and applied to good effect and with love, is the work of Wisdom.


22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,[c][d]
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[e] 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.”




[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 7th on Proverbs 7:14-17

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 7

Warning Against the Adulterous Woman

1 My son, keep my words
and store up my commands within you.
2 Keep my commands and you will live;
guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.
3 Bind them on your fingers;
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and to insight, “You are my relative.”
5 They will keep you from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words.


6 At the window of my house
I looked down through the lattice.
7 I saw among the simple,
I noticed among the young men,
a youth who had no sense.
8 He was going down the street near her corner,
walking along in the direction of her house
9 at twilight, as the day was fading,
as the dark of night set in.


10 Then out came a woman to meet him,
dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.
11 (She is unruly and defiant,
her feet never stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the squares,
at every corner she lurks.)
13 She took hold of him and kissed him
and with a brazen face she said:


14 “Today I fulfilled my vows,
and I have food from my fellowship offering at home.

14) OK, so today's verses are a little bit out of my field.  Yes, a lot bit.  But I'll try.

The first part has to do with the adulteress's religious duties.  Even while she is tempting the young man in the street she appeals to his interest in religious propriety as a part of her lure.  Food, of course, is another big part.  What fools we are (we men, for the present context), to allow our most basic instincts and needs to appease our moral restraint. If we can manage to assuage our God-given sense of guilt (our consciences) and our stomachs then it's all fair game after that!

15 So I came out to meet you;

I looked for you and have found you!

15) Will wonders never cease!  A lusty adulteress has found a horny man!  I don't think she had to look very far to find the simpleton do you?

16 I have covered my bed
with colored linens from Egypt.

16) And she goes on to describe her bed, as if that really matters to the poor sap.

17 I have perfumed my bed
with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.

17) More about the bed and its list of ingredients.  Reminds me of Hansel and Gretel; maybe she is planning to cook him when all is said and done!

When will we wake up and smell the cinnamon?  So much of what we devote ourselves to is a trap that only ruins us one life after another.

18 Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning;
let’s enjoy ourselves with love!
19 My husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey.
20 He took his purse filled with money
and will not be home till full moon.”


21 With persuasive words she led him astray;
she seduced him with her smooth talk.
22 All at once he followed her
like an ox going to the slaughter,
like a deer[a] stepping into a noose[b]
23 till an arrow pierces his liver,
like a bird darting into a snare,
little knowing it will cost him his life.


24 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
pay attention to what I say.
25 Do not let your heart turn to her ways
or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down;
her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave,
leading down to the chambers of death.



[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 6th on Proverbs 6:16-19

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 6

Warnings Against Folly

1 My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,
if you have shaken hands in pledge for a stranger,
2 you have been trapped by what you said,
ensnared by the words of your mouth.
3 So do this, my son, to free yourself,
since you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands:
Go—to the point of exhaustion—
and give your neighbor no rest!
4 Allow no sleep to your eyes,
no slumber to your eyelids.
5 Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,
like a bird from the snare of the fowler.


6 Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander,
no overseer or ruler,
8 yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.


9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.


12 A troublemaker and a villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks maliciously with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart—
he always stirs up conflict.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.


16 There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:

16) I love this kind of poetic device: claim six but then describe 7.  Don't ask me why this was devised, or why it works so well, but it just does.  Am I the only one?  Anyway, here we go.

17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,

17) Haughty eyes:  Pride again!  Remember how it goes before the fall?  Here we see its evil presence manifest through the eyes.  How is it that our bodies betray our wicked spirits so carelessly?  But they do!  Perhaps it is simply because we are all the same, so we can easily recognize our own sin when it shines from another.

A Lying Tongue: Jesus said "I am the Truth."  To speak a lie is to deny the Christ.  To deny Christ is to stand "detestable" before the Lord.

Hands that shed innocent blood: Some blood must be shed; that of the guilty.  God hates it when we shed innocent blood, simply because such blood deserves to flow through the veins it was intended to serve, for the good works they were planned to support, for the God the whole body should continue to glorify.

18 a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,

18) God wants to avenge innocent blood, but a corrupt heart (devising wicked schemes) he detests.  Such a heart will be stopped from pumping its vile blood and its schemes will be short lived.

Stupid feet!  Why are not our feet more apt to rush into love joy or peace?  Because they are literally, the fruits "of the Spirit".  Since our forebears rejected obedience to God, our fruit (which is their fruit) rushes the wrong way entirely.  

19 a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.

19) Again we see God's attitude toward the untrue, and the untruistic (liars).  They are perhaps the real anti-Christs because they foster the anti-Truth.  And a "false witness" directly violates the ninth Commandment: Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. Exodus 20  (Incidentally; there may be a time to lie, but bearing false witness is always heinous.  Ask about that in the comment section if you'd like.)

I can't think of a time when "stirring up conflict" is not done with a lie.  But our God wants peace for our communities, and he hates any effort that disrupts the gift of peace.

Warning Against Adultery

20 My son, keep your father’s command
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
when you sleep, they will watch over you;
when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp,
this teaching is a light,
and correction and instruction
are the way to life,
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife,
from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.


25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty
or let her captivate you with her eyes.


26 For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread,
but another man’s wife preys on your very life.
27 Can a man scoop fire into his lap
without his clothes being burned?
28 Can a man walk on hot coals
without his feet being scorched?
29 So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife;
no one who touches her will go unpunished.


30 People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his hunger when he is starving.
31 Yet if he is caught, he must pay sevenfold,
though it costs him all the wealth of his house.
32 But a man who commits adultery has no sense;
whoever does so destroys himself.
33 Blows and disgrace are his lot,
and his shame will never be wiped away.


34 For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will not accept any compensation;
he will refuse a bribe, however great it is.




[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 5th on Proverbs 5:11-14

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 5

Warning Against Adultery

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom,
turn your ear to my words of insight,
2 that you may maintain discretion
and your lips may preserve knowledge.
3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
4 but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She gives no thought to the way of life;
her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.


7 Now then, my sons, listen to me;
do not turn aside from what I say.
8 Keep to a path far from her,
do not go near the door of her house,
9 lest you lose your honor to others
and your dignity to one who is cruel,
10 lest strangers feast on your wealth
and your toil enrich the house of another.
11 At the end of your life you will groan,
when your flesh and body are spent.

11) My life must be nearly spent then, for I do a lot of groaning.  Or perhaps, on the up side, it just means that the pains will only get worse!  Hmmm.

Anyway, those who ignore Solomon's wise counsel, and partake in sin freely and deliberately, will do some real groaning.  And not just from sore muscles and complaining joints.  Furthermore, I think this warning applies to more than just the sexual adulteries.  Adultery is really any act that violates a commitment to God's ways.  Yes, the wayward wife and the philandering husband (doncha just love our euphemisms?) will lose everything, but so will the thief and the drunkard and many others.  As we wander from God's directions, we wander into trouble.

12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
How my heart spurned correction!

12) And then  "How I wish I could go back in time and be caught red-handed!  If only I could be arrested and punished and fined and humiliated and forced to admit that I was a sinner in need of a Savior!  And then saved.  And redeemed.  And live for God.  And avoid this depth of hell."

13 I would not obey my teachers
or turn my ear to my instructors.

13) "If only I had begun with the basics, accepted my place as a student of life, and learned what they longed to teach me."

14 And I was soon in serious trouble
in the assembly of God’s people.”

14) This sounds like he was "in the docks" in a court room.  I think there is probably no place more lonely, than standing in the shoes of a guilty defendant.  No matter how crowded the court, you stand there isolated before the only righteous Judge, God Himself.  Except, that is, for one other person: the Truth.  The Truth (Jesus Christ) will either condemn you in your sin, or advocate for your defense as one having been redeemed by His blood.  Your guilt will either fall upon you in that moment of judgement, or be taken on His shoulders.  It depends on you.  Will you receive His death and resurrection as offered for you, or take your own death and try to resurrect yourself? 

15 Drink water from your own cistern,
running water from your own well.
16 Should your springs overflow in the streets,
your streams of water in the public squares?
17 Let them be yours alone,
never to be shared with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed,
and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be intoxicated with her love.
20 Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife?
Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?


21 For your ways are in full view of the Lord,
and he examines all your paths.
22 The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them;
the cords of their sins hold them fast.
23 For lack of discipline they will die,
led astray by their own great folly.




[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 4th on Proverbs 4:14-17

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 4

Get Wisdom at Any Cost


1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction;
pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, get understanding;
do not forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;
love her, and she will watch over you.
7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get[a] wisdom.
Though it cost all you have,[b] get understanding.
8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
embrace her, and she will honor you.
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head
and present you with a glorious crown.”


10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
and the years of your life will be many.
11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom
and lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
guard it well, for it is your life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers.

14) Just a foot on the path is enough to drag us in with the wicked.  Not necessarily "in" with a particular gang of evildoers, but "in" the same status, the same camp, the same destiny.

15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way.

15) The required self discipline, or true self control, comes only from God as a fruit of the spirit.  

Galatians 5:22,23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.

16) Scary.  The streets are full of such men.  God help us.

17 They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence.

17) May the redeeming work of God in Christ deliver us from evil.  Not just from the violent works of the wicked, but from the evil seed born within me, and what it would produce.

18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble.


20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[c] paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.
[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 3rd on Proverbs 3:16-20

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 3

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
2 for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you peace and prosperity.


3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
in the sight of God and man.


5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.


7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
and nourishment to your bones.


9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.


11 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
as a father the son he delights in.


13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.

16) Who is the "her" here?  "She" is Wisdom!

And she brings long life, riches and honor!  Why do we not beckon her and listen to her counsel, instead of resist and scorn what she has to say?

17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
and all her paths are peace.

17) Oh no!  Now pleasant ways and paths of peace!

18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
those who hold her fast will be blessed.

18) It all comes back to free will.  Freedom of choice.  On what basis will you make your decisions, big and small?


19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,
by understanding he set the heavens in place;

19) Any cursory glance at the "earth's foundations", or deep look into the heavens, will reveal the under girding wisdom of God.   Our scientists continually reveal the intricacies and marvels of the material world, yet constantly work to dissuade the natural tendency of rational man to connect the wonderfully created with a wonderful creator; instead they propose improvable and scandalously unscientific alternative explanations for its workings and its origin.  Let the truth stand.  It was by His wisdom, accomplished.

20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

20) If wisdom is knowledge applied correctly, imagine what foundational knowledge God does inherently master. 


21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble.
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the Lord will be at your side
and will keep your foot from being snared.


27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
when you already have it with you.
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
who lives trustfully near you.
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
when they have done you no harm.


31 Do not envy the violent
or choose any of their ways.


32 For the Lord detests the perverse
but takes the upright into his confidence.
33 The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34 He mocks proud mockers
but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
35 The wise inherit honor,
but fools get only shame.




[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 July2nd on Proverbs 2:9-11

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 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

1 My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He holds success in store for the upright,
he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
8 for he guards the course of the just
and protects the way of his faithful ones.


9 Then you will understand what is right and just
and fair—every good path.

9) What a promise!  But what a Promiser!  God's promises are not like man's: He does not blow smoke or bait and switch or dabble in semantics.  Romans 3:4 makes the distinction:   Let God be true, and every human being a liar.  Perhaps you have trouble even imagining that what God says, He means.  But He does, and you can cling to His word. 

10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

10) Go back and re read verses 1-4 above.  They are the "ifs" that lead to these precious "thens" we are reading now.  Anybody can do the "ifs", and they can be done from anywhere at anytime under any circumstances.  Let me gather the verbs together here, and you tell me if they can be done in heavy traffic, in the sickest of sickbeds, or in the direst of dire straights: Accept, store-up, turn, apply, call out, cry aloud, look and search for.  The only one that might be difficult to do if you were locked in the trunk of a car is to store-up His commands within you.  Unless you have a Bible and a flashlight, it may be too late for the storing up so do that now!

11 Discretion will protect you,
and understanding will guard you.

11) Thank you Lord, for this great promise.  Please help me to accept your offer and practice the ifs you have given me.  I can always use discretion and understanding!

12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
and who are devious in their ways.


16 Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,
from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
and ignored the covenant she made before God.[a]
18 Surely her house leads down to death
and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
or attain the paths of life.


20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the unfaithful will be torn from it.




[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 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?