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Nov
30

A Look at Proverbs 10.25

By | Proverbs

Pr 10.25
25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

25a

25b

(when the whirlwind passes)

when the whirlwind passes

righteous

wicked

an everlasting foundation

no more

whirlwind – often used to describe God’s judgment, Isa29.5-8; Amos1.14; Nah1.3

wicked – (cf Pr10.2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 16, 20, 24) the wicked are typically people who threaten the community, e.g., violate the rights of others, violent, oppressive, greedy, plotting, trapping others, murdering, dishonest. It’s not so much a condition, but an action, a lifestyle.

foundation – used several times for the base of the altar, to found, fix firmly

References to consider:

Ps 5.4
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.

Hosea 8.7
7 For they sow the wind
And they reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
It yields no grain.
Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.

Pr 1.27
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

N.B. — the fool, wicked base all their decisions on “today.” This is not so with the wise, righteous.

Mt 7.24-27
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Sharpening for my life today:

Our Proverb is a gem for taking a look at daily life. Choices are critical!

What “choices” are you making today that will reap what you do not want in the coming days?

Make sure to look at the sidebar, the Seven Laws of the Harvest, it’s an excellent set of principles and practices for reaping God’s things in life.

Nov
22

A Look at Proverbs 10.24

By | Proverbs

Pr 10:24.
24 What the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

24a

25a

fears

desire

of the wicked

of the righteous

will come upon him

will be granted (him)

fear / terror – an extreme sense of horror. The verb speaks of intimidation before a stronger or superior being or thing. It is a state where survival itself is threatened!

wicked – this noun is used over 266 times paralleling almost every word for sin, evil, and iniquity. A description of someone in contrast to the character and attitude of God, e.g., violates social rights, violent, oppressive, greedy, plotting against the poor, murder, community threateners, dishonest, self-serving. This person contrasts the righteous not only in lifestyle but in life results.

desire – long for, regard as beautiful. The verb often relates to what our “soul” (being) seeks, something for the depths of our being.

References to consider:

Ps 34:4.
4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

Ps 9:5.
5 You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked;
You have blotted out their name forever and ever.

Ps 9:16.
16 The Lord has made Himself known; He has executed judgment.
In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared.

Pr 24:20.
20 For there will be no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

Mal 4:3.
3 “You will tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day which I am preparing,” says the Lord of hosts.

N.B. – Such wickedness is not irreversible, cf Ps106.6; 2Chron6.37; Neh9.33; Dan9.5. It is confession / repentance the Lord really seeks.

Pr 13:12.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

Pr 13:19.
19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.

Sharpening for my life today:

The gem of God’s wisdom picks up from the preceding Proverb where the wicked take pleasure in their sin, yet, there is a day ahead that their conscience speaks about to them. Let’s make a note here, God’s provision of our conscience is a gift to prick, prod, and point us to the things we need to see in our lives. Rightfully so does the wicked have a gnawing inside of them, it is a gift of God to call them to repentance!

We would do well to consider “What do the wicked fear”? Our word for fear / terror is frequently used in promise-fulfillment motifs. It is suggested what is to be worried is what will “come upon” us. Scripture is consistent in the truth, what you sow, you reap, or called talionic justice.

At the heart of all “dread” is the thought of the wicked that they must stand before the Lord. This “dread” is frequently treated as a laughing matter, anesthetized with activity, alcohol, materialism, immorality, and many more masks! The truth of the Word of God is that there will be a day of reckoning.

At this point, our jewel from the Lord, sets a hope before the righteous of standing before the Lord. This is the hope of life! Read Ps 73, meditate on Ps73.24-28. Ahead of the righteous is the desire of life granted from the Lord. The conscience of those who walk with the Lord blesses those who love Him.

Take a moment and see if there’s something gnawing in your heart. Know the Lord restores all who turn to Him in faith! His blessing can be yours, now, and when you stand before Him!

Nov
17

A Look at Proverbs 10.23

By | Proverbs

Pr 10.23
23 Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

23a

23b

doing wickedness

(doing) wisdom

is like sport

(is like sport)

to a fool

to a man of understanding

sport – laugh, laughter, play. Wrongness is so much a part of the nature of the fool that it’s satisfying activity, he “laughs” at his “sport”! This is something in which he finds satisfaction. “Sport” is implied in our parallelism of the wise person with the fool. They have this in common! Each one does something just for the pleasure of it!

fool – (see Pr10.18 study)

wickedness – plan, device.

understanding –

References to consider:

Wickedness

Pr 12.2
2 A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

Pr 14.7
7 Leave the presence of a fool,
Or you will not discern words of knowledge.

Pr 21.27
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!

Pr 24.9
9 The devising of folly is sin,
And the scoffer is an abomination to men.

Pr 10.4
4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Understanding

Pr 15.21
21 Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.

Pr 3.13
13 How blessed is the man who finds wisdom
And the man who gains understanding.

Pr 9.10
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Sharpening for my life today:

Our gem touches the habits of our hearts! We might first want to notice that this jewel is not a contrast, “but,” { incorrectly translated by the ESV, NIV, NKJV Bibles } it’s a comparison, a commonality between the fool and the man of understanding. They have something in common!

The fool has no sense of sin because there is no moral foundation. Wrongness is such a part of the nature that it is satisfying activity.

The wise man has a sense of sin because there is a moral foundation. We can easily see that if sin is getting too close to us, it’s not because of our closeness to the Moral Foundation, the Lord and His Word!

Here we also find some insightful counsel. The person (or group) which commits sin and laughs it off is to be avoided! Such action not only clouds our ability to see, choose, act wisely, it is an abomination to the Lord and His Truth in our lives.

God’s Word and Ways in our lives brings blessing! We might just stop and reflect on this a little longer. What are we “laughing” about, “sporting” over, “making light” of? Sin is exceedingly deceitful! Here again, a great truth for habits of our hearts.

Pr 12.2
2 A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

Nov
07

A Look at Proverbs 10.22

By | Proverbs

Pr 10.22
22 It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

22a

22b

blessing of the Lord

  

it (alone/uniquely) makes

  

rich

it
 

He adds no sorrow to

blessing of the Lord – always sourced in the Lord, His ways, what He is doing, and His ways through His people (e.g., kindness, grace, truth, love . . . )

rich –

sorrow – grief, anxiety, but often inner in its impact!

References to consider:

Pr 22.4
4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.

Pr 12.2
2 A good man will obtain favor from the Lord,
But He will condemn a man who devises evil.

Pr 15.16
16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

cf. Pr16.8; 28.6

Sharpening for my life today:

This gem from Proverbs touches on the reality of riches. Living in a culture consumed by capitalism which determines much of worth and respect and merit and prominence and value on “riches,” this jewel is well worth your pondering as you walk through life.

The first thing to note is the Author of riches is the Lord! This does not say that our responsibility is not diligence in our tasks, it most definitely is! cf. Pr10.4 Yet, it is arrogance of the highest order to think one “makes” what we have. The Lord most definitely is the source of blessing. His blessing does numerous things. For one, it provides for us. Probably more important, it is our storehouse to be used of Him for sharing His blessing with others. Equally important, it tests us in our allegiance to Him! Read carefully Pr11.24-27 and give it some time to settle in your heart!

The second thing we need to note is the blessing of the Lord is not mixed with painful or sorrowful accompaniment. This doesn’t mean there isn’t labor involved for labor is not sorrowful!

Here is a key lesson: the righteous person works diligently with what is before him and the Lord’s blessing / benediction is upon him! Here is blessing! Those who gain only by strenuous labor may acquire but there is no blessing accrued!

So, how can I weigh / assess my accumulation / riches / assets to see if they are of the Lord?

1) Is the Lord getting the glory?

2) Am I seeing the Lord “through” the blessing, or am I just seeing the blessing?

3) Is there sorrow, grief, anxiety with the “blessing” (this isn’t saying there wasn’t labor with the blessing)?

4) Do I see the Lord working through the blessing or am I only seeing my “sufficiency”?

5) Maybe most importantly, am I satisfied with the Lord’s blessing to me?

Remember, ill-gotten riches always come with the emptiness of sorrow, grief, anxiety, and no blessing!

When we work, recognizing the Lord’s blessing is upon us, there is no “sorrow” as He blesses. We see His hand! We’re used of Him to bless others! We are, indeed, rich!