Skip to main content

Proverbs 18:6-8 Words really do matter.

Good evening friends,

Hope you enjoyed today's live stream service.  Where would we be without the incarnation?

Finished the gospels today with the last chapter of John.  So we will start Psalms tomorrow.

Blessings

Jeff

Why does God include Proverbs in general and these 3 verses in particular in scripture? 

Let's think about these 3 verses first.  

Does it take devine inspiration to assess the link between speech and a persons heart?  Could Solomon just observe someone saying outrageous things and then getting into a fight because of what he said.  Or someone mouthing off to some official (soldier, elder at the gate) and receiving a beating for disrespecting authority.  

Just because people are fallen doesn't mean that they can't understand the patterns in life.  The Bible doesn't contain everything there is to know.

God wants his children to be wise. Just reminds me of a segment in Pilgrim's Progress when Christian runs into Worldly Wiseman.  Proverbs helps us to distinguish between wisdom that can be discerned by the world that aligns with God's truth and things that have the appearance of wisdom, but really are  not wise.  Think of all the self help books on how to be a better (fill in the blank).  All without the need for a new heart from God.  Proverbs and the other Wisdom literature are not "self help".  The gospel isn't "just do what Proverbs says".  That would be works righteousness.  Living in accordance with Proverbs are good works that God has prepared before hand for us to walk in them (Eph 2:10).  

These are just some thoughts meant to stimulate discussion.  I started off by asking why did God put Proverbs into the Bible.  Maybe a better question is what are you learning from reading and meditating on them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revelation 22:3-5 Final and eternal restoration - Day 365

Dear saints in the Lord, Congratulations!  You made it.  We have been through much turmoil in the last year ('20-'21).  But God is faithful to His promises.  I trust that you have been blessed in your reading and have drawn closer to God.   Since we didn't get the blog up and running at the beginning of the challenge, I am going to go back and post entries to cover that first month or so.   Blessings, Jeff Nothing accursed in the city of God, the new Jerusalem.  The presence of sin will be gone.  I am working on memorizing Westminster Shorter Catechism and currently on question 82.  Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God? No mere man since the fall is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God but does daily break them in thought, word and deed. I think our passage today points to the truth of this question.  Do you notice how this answer is not exactly the same as the question. "Any man" bec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Malachi 2:10-12 Here we go again!! Day 363

Good afternoon friends, As we draw to the end of the Old Testament, we see that Judah has rebuilt the temple and the walls of Jerusalem, but they are following in the footsteps of faithless fathers and not in the footsteps of Abraham and ultimately God.  The exile was a low point, but now a new low is about to happen.  The prophetic voice has once again become warning and not encouraging. Faithful reading and preaching of the word is all that keeps us from losing our way.  May we be faithful in our generation. Blessings, Jeff I am sure I have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating.  The section summary, chapter and verse are not in the original language.  They are all rather modern inventions to help us.  For example, the section title here is "Judah profaned the Covenant".  That is OK as far as it goes, but which Covenant?  So let's take a look. Observations Starts with 3 questions but who is asking the questions and to whom are they addre...
Post a Comment
Read more

Romans 14:1-6 Not hindering the way of a brother Day 42

Good morning brothers and sisters, During sermon yesterday (originally written 10/12/20) I mentioned Martin Luther's approach to prayer in the letter to Master Peter.  I still have much to learn, but hope that we can learn and grow together. In the Beloved Jeff  Using Luther's "wreath of four strands" from  A Simple way to Pray  Instruction, thanksgiving, confession, petition.  Goal is a heart warmed and inclined to prayer. Instruction - textbook - what do these 4 verses teach me about what God expects of me? Not to pass judgment on one another any longer by deciding not to hinder the way of a brother.  Paul gives an example of food.  I think of "pass judgment" as a mental or verbal activity, but "not hindering" is a physical activity.  What I think or say about a brother or sister will show up in the way I treat them.  God is extremely interested in how we live with each other. Note of reminder - Faith and practice.  Paul develops theol...
Post a Comment
Read more