Backwards

Psalms 80:18 (KJV) So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

(Proverbs 15 also read)

Asaph has a definite view of God and Israel.  I would say that his perspective is at the heart of why God allowed Israel to be deported and debased.  If my memory serves me correctly, you never have Asaph speaking of repentance.  He seems totally unaware of why God was allowing His people to suffer.  It’s very clear to the prophets.  It’s clear in the history’s.  It makes me wonder why he couldn’t see, but he misses it.

Even here we see a reversal of the order of how things should be.  He reminds me of Wimpy saying that he would be glad to pay you on Tuesday if you would buy him a hamburger today.  Here we see a typical way to try and get around repentance.  Asaph says if you revive us, if you touch us, if you pull us out of our difficult situation, then we will call upon Your name.

So?  It doesn’t work that way when we call upon God.  We approach Him with repentance.  We confess our sin.  We believe in Jesus.  In a word, we call upon His name.  And then He will “quicken us”.

I Don’t Understand

Proverbs 14:6 (KJV) A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.

I’m sure we have all run into a situation where we carefully explain some thing and make it perfectly obvious and the person we’re talking to will get a puzzled look on their face and say, “I don’t understand.”  Sometimes you can take a look at what you were saying and find a little bit better way to clarify it, but often all you can do is kind of shake your head and wonder what part of clear facts don’t you understand?

I think that the CSB gives us an insight here,

Proverbs 14:6 (CSB) A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.

The use of the word “perceptive” is a good choice.  When I look up the word in my software, part of the definition of being perceptive, having understanding, involves paying attention.  One of the great ways to understand some thing is to actually pay attention.

So?  Read.  Listen.  Contemplate.  And of course, that leads to a better chance of understanding.  Also include the assumption that you really want to understand.  Keep in mind that claiming you don’t understand on judgment day won’t carry a lot of weight. 

Right of Way

(Pro 13:6 KJV)  Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.

The concept of “righteousness” (6666) is something that, for some reason, is controversial.  There are those who love to quote Paul’s statement that “there is none righteous…”  The sad part is that they usually quote this out of context, and use it incorrectly.

As I read this today in the CSB I got a little bit of a different spin on it.

Proverbs 13:6 (CSB) Righteousness guards people of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.

This verse to me points out that righteousness is not just a condition, but it is a set of actions.  Although I accept the fact that God can make us righteous, and does, in the context of the wickedness mentioned here I think Solomon is saying that righteous actions reinforce and guard our integrity.  Integrity is based on reputation in many cases.  Moral and ethical behavior, reinforce our reputation as being righteous

So?  Don’t desert the understanding that God actually changes our hearts, but also don’t refuse to move on to applying that change to your daily behavior.  We are to be salt and light.  That means not just having a big smile and a positive attitude, but living a righteous life. 

Eye Opener

Psalms 79:1 (KJV) [[A Psalm of Asaph.]] O God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance; thy holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem on heaps.

(Proverbs 12 also read)

When I come to scripture, I come with certain assumptions.  One of the assumptions I have would be that David wrote Psalms and Solomon wrote Proverbs.  That is not a valid assumption, and the Bible itself tells me so.  I don’t know if Sunday school teachers told me this or preachers or I just assumed it.  It is wrong.

As I read this recently, with my eyes open and my brain turned on I noticed what this is describing.  It is describing Jerusalem being destroyed and the Temple being defiled.  That did not happen before Solomon, because Solomon build the temple.  It didn’t happen during Solomon’s life.  In fact, we have to move forward in time past the fall of the northern kingdom, and into the deportation of the southern kingdom.  For this Psalm to have been written with these details it is either prophecy or looking back after the deportation.

I don’t see any evidence of prophecy here, or anything to be prophetic about.  There is no admission of repentance.  There’s simply calling on God to bail them out.

So?  Never turn off your brain.  Never assume that what they told you in Sunday school was totally accurate.  There is no mention of Mary riding a donkey.  There is no statement of how many wise men there were.  Don’t be afraid to learn new things and expand your understanding.  What an adventure. 

First Person Possessive

Matthew 6:9 (KJV) After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

(Proverbs 11 also read)

I have a lot of questions about prayer.  This came up recently when we were touching on the subject in Sunday school and people were talking about making a prayer list.  Most of the items on the prayer list had to do with physical issues.  The problems are very real.  Bringing them before God in prayer is appropriate.  And yet when I read the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus seems to be saying something else to us.

What struck me this morning was not about that.  That is just how I got to where I am thinking now.  I started looking at the words that we use “our” and “which”.  At first, I started wondering why the king James version says, “which” when the NASB says “who”.  As I looked at the Greek, with my limited knowledge, I saw that these were basic words that had to do with mine and me, and not necessarily with God.  At least not with His character.

I saw other translations, which I think put this better, where they said our God in heaven.  But even beyond that, my eyes, and turn to the word “Father”.  I noticed that the reference to father came before the reference to His holy name and His holiness.  So I looked up this phrase.  “Our father in heaven” is a common expression of Jesus.  What is unusual about it is the reference to God as father.  This is not an Old Testament expression.  This is something that Jesus introduced and emphasized.  And we are to call God Father.  This is not the “ABBA” Father, this is just the Greek word where we get the term paternal.

So?  We are to think of God as father.  If you did not have a loving father in your life, then I would encourage you to look into what it means biblically to be a father and embrace God in that way. 

True Wealth

Proverbs 10:22 (KJV) The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.

Verses like this are easy to misinterpret.  We take them literally when it’s more of a principle or figurative language.  We know this because God has a special place in His heart for the poor, and we know that being rich can drag people into decisions that destroy them.  We know people who live righteous lives who are not rich.  At least that’s true in terms of money.  Here’s where the CSB seems to give us a valuable insight.

Proverbs 10:22 (CSB) The LORD's blessing enriches, and he adds no painful effort to it.

I like this word enriches, because it opens up the vast range of ways in which God makes life better for His people.  This leaves the gate open for people living very close to poverty level.  It points out that the joy of life is not in how shiny your car is but is the people that you carry in it.

So?  Be careful when you listen to the prosperity folks.  They have such a limited understanding of what the riches of God are.  God is not always in your bank balance.  One reason is that when our bank balance gets padded, our sensitivity to God becomes calloused. 

Pick a Card

Proverbs 9:6 (KJV) Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.

In the sense, we are all born “foolish” (6612a). They are different words used for this.  You can say “simple”, you can say “naive”, here it is “foolish”.  The CSB uses it’s own word,

    Proverbs 9:6 (CSB) “Leave inexperience behind, and you will live; pursue the way of understanding.

This translation prefers the word “inexperienced”.  Regardless of the words you choose.  There’s a thought here that needs to be reinforced.  This kind of handicapped mentality is a choice.  You may not have chosen to be there in the first place, after all, we are all born at a very young age.  You have the choice of staying there.  You have the choice of leaving.

This is one of the reasons we encourage people to read their Bibles on a regular basis.  It’s one of the expectations we have from attending worship service and hearing the preaching that comes from the pulpit.  That’s why we attend Sunday school and hear the insights shared by other believers.  We were given constant opportunities to grow.

So?  The choice is up to you.  Pick a card.  Any card.  If you’re looking to get the right one, keep in mind that the dealer has a way of getting you to pick the one he wants.

Why Not?

(Mat 3:9 KJV)  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

(Proverbs 8 also read)

Jesus himself says God the Father can do things which makes no sense to us.  I mean you could make creatures and call them children of Abraham, but you would also need to have a family tree.  They would need to be traced all the way back to Abraham to look genuine.

God could do this.  Jesus says so.  A question that occurred to me as I was thinking about the power of God, and how He worked in history was, “Why didn’t He?”

Think of all the things that God could have done just by proclamation.  Did Jesus really have to put up with the thick skulls of the disciples as He tried to pound His truth into their heads and hearts?  Did Israel really need to wander around in the wilderness for 40 years?  For that matter, did He really need to create the world in seven days?  Why not one day?  Why not instantaneously?

It seems to me that God works through processes.  He called Abraham.  Eventually He established the covenant.  He could have done that from the beginning.  He didn’t.  And the whole purpose of calling Abraham was to create the people that would give the historical background needed with the coming of the perfect Lamb of God.

So?  We tend to think that God is going to work overnight miracles.  He has.  People will testify to it, and we have a record of it.  But He tends to work more in a long process of development.  Note that the higher animals such as human beings take years and years to develop.  A turtle can break out of its shell and head for the sea immediately.  It takes a baby weeks to realize that that thing waving front of his face is his hand.  Be patient.  Let God do it his way. 

Matching Verses

(Psa 71:15 KJV)  My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.

(Proverbs 7 also read)

I don’t know why it still surprises me, but there are those days when you have some thoughts running through your head and you read a few verses of scripture and it’s like someone had an arrow right at your target.  This morning as I was contemplating the attributes of God, and how difficult it is for us to even grasp His reality, I was humbled by the limitations of my vocabulary, let alone my understanding.

And then I come across this verse, which points out to me that even David, or whoever was the author of this Psalm, couldn’t begin to approach, understanding God’s righteousness, or our salvation.  It is good to be in such company.  It is good to be reminded that in one small part of His awareness God is paying attention to what’s going through my mind.

So?  I certainly can’t guarantee it every day, but the Bible speaks to us where we are and where we’re going. 

David Insight

Psalms 69:5 (KJV) O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

(Proverbs 6 also read)

Reading the Psalms opens up the heart of David as he worships God.  Some of his writing is very political and figurative.  If you look at the beginning of this chapter, you see him talking about being stuck in the mud and different things like that.  I don’t think those are literal.  I think he’s sharing where his heart is and what he’s feeling.

One of the things that we hear frequently about David is that he was a man after God’s own heart.  I think this verse points out why that is true.  God is listening as David confesses his “foolishness” (200) (folly NASB). Then he confesses an awareness that he doesn’t try to hide his sins from God.  He openly confesses them.  He is deeply repentant.

He is a man after God’s own heart.

So?  We also can be men and women after God’s own heart.  We can confess our foolishness.  We can confess our sins.  We can be open with God about our failures.  We can live with an attitude of repentance and a desire for obedience.  And then, if your heart isn’t right, God will make it so. 

What Was That?

Psalm 65:8 (KJV) They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.

(Proverbs 5 also read)

It was still dark as I read this, sitting on the front porch.  I’m enjoying the fellowship with the Lord in the morning.  There’s not even a glimmer that the sun is coming up.  And yet here, God reminds me of what I experience emotionally and spiritually in those times when it begins to get light, and the colors begin to emerge from the darkness.  I was reading the Legacy Standard Bible when this jumped out at me.  Here’s what it says,

Psalm 65:8 (LSB) They who inhabit the ends of the earth are in fear on account of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.

So?  That means that not only do the morning and the evening shout for joy, but I, a believer, and one who knows the Maker of the sunrise, can also shout for joy. 

Top Dog

(Pro 4:7 KJV)  Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Let me misread this a little bit.  Let me use a different word for “principal” (7225).  Let me substitute the other word that we often misspell, principle.  One, which is used here means primary or top dog.  This is the principal of your school.  The other has to do with the rules you run by.  And this is saying not only is wisdom top dog, but it is also a set of principles that we run by.  That is my interpretation.

Take a look at how this other translation puts it,

Proverbs 4:7 (CSB) “Wisdom is supreme -- so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.

Actually, this is not the place to start.  Keep in mind that wisdom starts with the fear of God.  Then you can go on to collect the principles and apply them.

So?  Follow the pattern that God has given you follow the principal principles. 

A House Is Not a Home

(Pro 3:33 KJV)  The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.

As I said, I am reading the Christian Standard Bible this month in Proverbs.  As I read it, I noticed that in the second part of this verse, instead of “habitation” (5116), it has “home”.  I think that is a valuable insight.

When I was a kid I remember a lady who would read a poem every year, I think on Mother’s Day, and the only thing I remember is “It takes I heap-a lot of livin’, to make a house a home”.  Our house, or habitation, is simply a building.  It can be finished, painted, the doors mounted, the roof covered and still not be a home.  It takes that added application of people.  Even then you can have a habitation full of people who don’t really live there because their lives are centered other places.

So?  Is your house a home?  Is it just a place to hang your hat and lay your body down to sleep?  I would suggest if that’s the case that you start by making a place where you worship.  And make it a place where family becomes important.  The place where you study.  The place that becomes your home, or as the gospel of John would talk about, your abode. 

The Primacy of Fear

Proverbs 2:5 (KJV) Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.

Fear really gets a bad rap in our culture.  We overlook the fact that a reasonable fear is what keeps us out of a lot of tragic situations.  And on a more superficial level, I wonder how many traffic tickets I have not gotten simply because I’m afraid of getting a traffic ticket.  But this fear is on a higher level.

This fear involves a relatively accurate assessment of who God is and what He expects.  It involves the love which is in his character.  It is a key factor and that is why time and time again in Proverbs we find the fact that so much is dependent upon the fear of God.  Substitute what you want.  Call it awe.  Call reverence.  Call respect.  Most Bible translators like the word fear

So?  Fear God.  Define it anyway you want.  But in the mist of your fear, don’t forget that God is love, God is light, God is a spirit, and Jesus died for you.

More Than a Quote

Proverbs 1:2 (KJV) To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

I have recently been looking at some of the old Charlie Chan movies.  It makes me want to say occasionally “Confucius say….”  Sometimes when Charlie shared some great bit of wisdom from the past, it’s very cloudy as to what it really means.  It isn’t enough to just be able to quote the elders.  Scripture, well known for cliches, does points out is that wisdom doesn’t come from knowing the quotations word for word, it comes from knowing what the words mean.

This book is going to try and teach us wisdom.  This month I’ll be reading the Christian Standard Bible, CSB.

So? If I don’t have anything to say that you find of value, then I encourage you to go beyond me and read the scripture yourself and see what God tells you.  He’s waiting in the wings.  He is speaking to you.  Your job is to listen.