Postings on Proverbs...13:6

"Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, but sin overthrows the wicked" (ESV)

This one explains itself, does it not? What goes around, comes around, right? Your sin will take you down, and your goodness will protect you from harm. There's got to be more though.

Notice, "Righteousness" is personified. It's doing something. It's actively guarding the one "whose way is blameless." And notice, "sin" is also personified as it "overthrows the wicked," but where does this all lead?

The phrase "way...blameless" "refers to the context, conduct, and blessed destiny of people whose every step is oriented toward the Lord and the well-being of his universal kingdom" (Waltke I:556).

In other words, your destiny is built into your way of life before God -- one person is protected, the other is ruined. God built this tit-for-tat, boomerang into the fabric of reality.

So, where's your life headed? Don't be hasty in your answer. Remember that "The Christian, while 'walking in his integrity' (Ps 26:11), never loses his sense of sin, or forgets his need of mercy" (Bridges 154).

Perfection and righteousness in this context are not synonyms. We will always need mercy, until we die. So, don't answer that question by asking, Am I perfect?, but I ask again, where's your life headed?

You can tell which path, which "way" you're on. If you're wise, your steps are oriented towards the Lord. The fool's steps are oriented towards themselves.

Proverbs 13:1 should be on every page of the Bible: "A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke."

God is constantly rebuking our thoughts and behavior, but what we do with that confrontation is key. How are you responding to His correction right now? Idiots refuse to listen; wise people change.

I'll leave you with this, the wise person refuses to consider his intentions, but rather examines his actions to determine which path he's currently on, God's or his own.

So, which one is it for you?

Postings on Proverbs...13:5

"The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace" (ESV)

Can we say we hate falsehood? How much do we shave off the hard edges of truth to make ourselves look good? We hate it when people lie to us (duh!), but do we hate it enough to tell the truth when it hurts us, embarrasses us, or makes us look incompetent or unkind?

Do we call ourselves "blunt," meaning we mask being a jerk behind "I'm just telling the truth," or "wounds from a friend can be trusted," forgetting that kindness is a fruit of the Spirit.

Do we regularly sacrifice the truth on the altar of "kindness," which is in quotes because it's really not kindness at all, but rather a deceptive form of pride that would so hate for you to see me in a bad light that I will lie to you to save my reputation.?

One of the most common ways I've seen this not hating falsehood among Christians in brown-nosing, kissing-up, flattering leaders to get ahead in organizations, and sadly, leaders eat it up and promote those who lie to them because it typically strokes their egos.

The righteous hate all of that falsehood and then some. Why? Ultimately, because God does:

"There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue..." (Prov 6:16-17; see 12:22)

So, the righteous hate what God hates. Loving truth is actually evidence of salvation:

"...those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thess 2:10)

This doesn't just mean listening to a lot of preaching, taking good notes on sermons or reading your Bible daily. It means not having a double life. It means telling the truth even when it will cause you problems. It means confessing lies to those you've lied to.

The couplet suggests that the shame and disgrace come because of the wicked were caught in their lies. Notice too, "hates" is parallel to "brings," which is not what I'd expect. I'd expect it to say "loves shame and disgrace," a sarcastic way of saying they're shamed and disgraced so much for their lives that they must "love" it. However, this "imprecise antithesis implies that a righteous person does not come to social and personal shame and that a wicked person does not hate what distorts reality" (Waltke I:555).

In the end, though it could have cost them their lives, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were right to "rather suffer by the truth than sin by lying" (Bridges 153), but are we?

Don't answer that question by looking at your intentions in this moment. Answer that questions by looking at your words this past week, to your friends, your spouse, your co-workers, your boss and your kids. Which group does the past week put you in, the righteous wise men who hate falsehood or the wicked fools who don't?

If that quote at the bottom is true, what do your lies say matters most to you? The opinions of others? Your job? Your self-image? Your grades? Your freedom? Lies tell us when something other than that one true God is a functional god in our lives.

No one should see themselves as free from the sting of this proverb, so just remember, "truth is in Jesus" (Eph 4:21). His perfect record of truth telling is now yours if you are a Christian. Let His grace motivate you to say No to all forms of ungodliness (Titus 2:11), including the sin of lying, and you'll be on the path to becoming wise.

Postings on Proverbs...13:3

"Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin" (ESV)

Who? Wise vs. Fool
What? Preserves his life vs. Comes to Ruin
Why? Guards his mouth vs. Opens wide his lips

How does the world tell you to get wisdom? Make mistakes. Experience everything. Take chances. Live and learn along the way.

How does God tell you to get wisdom? Read Proverbs. Study it. Memorize it. Learn and live.

That's one of the reasons I'm doing this blog, so that I, now in my 30s, can take God seriously when He says "Study Proverbs to get the skills you need to live a good life" (see Proverbs 3:1-10)

I needed this proverb when I was a kid (not that I would've listened). My mouth always got me in trouble, but even writing that makes it sound like I'm disconnected from my mouth, when our mouths never say anything that's not already in our hearts.

The word translated "open wide" is only used one other time in the Old Testament: "At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring" (Ezekiel 16:25). The words "offering yourself" is the word, which more literally translated is "spreading your legs wide open."

So, like a prostitute who opens her legs to anyone who offers himself to her, so the fool opens his mouth to any thought that offers itself to him. His lips are unrestrained, uncontrolled, unbridled, undisciplined, which will often bring him discipline, ruin, disaster, violence and pain.

 However, we "enjoy good," not just when we say good things (13:2), but also when we keep ourselves from saying things that can ruin us. Our mouths can keep us, our families, our jobs, our lives safe and happy.

No one sets out to ruin their lives. We all want good lives, but few take the time to think through how to get there. The how question involves skill, and that's what Proverbs is for, giving us, as I see it, this piece of mouth-wisdom: recognize the influence your mouth has on the outcome of your life.

So, let's pray along with David, "Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3), and remember "But for the blood of Christ, the mass of guilt from the sins of the tongue would have condemned us for ever; and in proportion as the [tongue] is bridled, 'the peace of God rules in the heart'" (Bridges 151).

Postings on Proverbs...13:2

"From the fruit of his mount a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence" (ESV)

Who? A (wise) man vs. "the treacherous"
What? Eats what is good vs. desires violence
Why? Because of what he says ("the fruit of his mouth") vs. Because he's treacherous
How? ???

What makes the first half of the proverb parallel to the the second half is not clear (Waltke I:553; Longman 284), meaning it's harder to find the wisdom in this one. Here's my best shot:

In Proverbs, "treacherous" people aren't comic book villains. They are men and women who are unfaithful to an already established relationship they've proclaimed loyalty to. They make promises and refuse to keep them. They abandon something or someone they've previously committed themselves to, as seen in Jeremiah: "Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the Lord" (3:20).

The best explanation for this proverb, for me, is from a footnote in Waltke who said the word translated "desire" can also be translated "throat," meaning as the wise man words get him good things, so the words of the treacherous bring him harm, even violence.

I'm watching two shows with my wife right now, Quantum Leap (a favorite from high school for me) and Arrested Development. There couldn't be a bigger contrast between the two shows as Sam in QL is fixing everyone's lives, often times with what he says, while the characters in AD are the biggest bunch of treacherous fools I've ever seen on TV, only loyal to themselves.

So, can you look at your life and see any actual blessings your words have rewarded you with? What are they? See which side of 13:2 you're on. Or, do you find yourself in trouble a lot because of your mouth?

The wise person sees a need to change and indulges that need, the fool starves that need and stays dumb, so what's it going to be?

In the end, let us examine our tongues for wisdom, "that it be under the influence of Divine grace, restrained from evil, disciplined for usefulness, the fruitful instrument of our own happiness" (Bridges 151; underline mine).

Postings on Proverbs...13:1

"A wise son hears his father's instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke" (ESV)

There is nothing worse in Proverbs than the "scoffer" (Waltke, I:114), someone who hears truth, hears its benefits, hears its blessings and doesn't just reject it, but arrogantly determines that God's wisdom is absurd.

He is a "genius for invective and denigration...[wearing] a perpetual sneer...who supposes that it is his mission in life to promote the corrosion of the values by which individuals and society lives" (Walkte).

Few reading this would consider themselves a "scoffer," but you may be one regardless. The question you need to ask yourself is not "Am I a scoffer?" but "Do I rebel against being corrected by God's Word?" If yes, then you're probably a scoffer, whether you want to admit it or not.

Who? Wise vs. Scoffer
What? Hears = listens to his father's instruction vs. Does not listen to rebuke
Where? Anywhere
When? Anytime
Why? Doesn't say, but I think it's humility vs. pride
How? Doesn't say

The wise and the fool (here, the scoffer) are distinguished by his response to truth that confronts him. Someone shows him he's morally wrong (Waltke, I:551), that he's sinned, and immediately what he is -- wise or fool -- is revealed. The wise listen; the fool will not.

I think the reason for the difference boils down to humility. The scoffer is arrogant, so he despises correction and only listens to himself and those who agree with him.

The wise knows she's prone to mistake, has blind spots and doesn't have all the answers. She'll seek out advice and trust the correction of those who are smarter and have walked with God longer than she has.

This proverb hits home to me as a new dad. My son is 12 months old now, and I'm doing this blog because I want to be wise and I'm doing it for him (and any other kids God may graciously gift us with).

I trust this book, that we all start out naive, unskilled, foolish about life and how it works; therefore, success and failure is determined by the application of wisdom, the skill needed to live a good life.

This book is God's wisdom in written form, so I hope my kids want to be wise and will read Proverbs and this blog, but they might not. They might be fools and scoff at the God their mom and I love so much.

I pray almost nightly that that is not the case and when I bless him before he goes to bed that's one of the things I'm praying God blesses him with, wisdom, the skill to live a life that God considers beautiful, successful, blessed.

And, because we're naturally foolish, ignorant and in need of wisdom, the goal of achieving a good life starts with proverbs like this one, so, what's your response to being told you're wrong or in sin? Do you pout? Do you slander the person who corrects you, either out loud to others or in your own mind? Are you always right and no one better dare correct you? Do you think you know better than people who truly know more than you do?

Postings on Proverbs...12:28

"In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death" (ESV)

This can't be saying that those who live righteous lives never die, or that they're never killed for being righteous. Jesus was perfectly righteous, in every thought, word and action (1 Pet 2:22, 1 John 3:5), and He was killed for His righteousness. So, what does this proverb mean?

Who? Anyone

What? Life, and no death

Where? Anywhere

When? Anytime

Why? One's life ("path") is righteous

How? ???

This is what I call a summary proverb. It takes all the details of every individual proverb, which only give a slice of all the minute details of life, and bottom lines all proverbs with "Which path do your actions say you are on?" and then adds "Because your actions reveal the destination you're headed to." Waltke says this proverb "expresses in the most creative and intensive way that the righteous retain a relationship with God forever, clinical death does not separate them from a relationship with the Lord" (I: 543).

Many will disregard the statement about actions revealing our current destination and answer that question with "I'm on God's path," mainly because we don't think our sins are all that bad. We see ourselves in the best possible light and also evaluate ourselves based on our intentions, not our actions, something we then assume God will do too -- wrong!

Here's our logic: our intentions are good (another a lie we tell ourselves) so we're good. Sadly, this dooms us to self-blindness and self-deception, keeping us from ever seeing the truth, that we aren't even close to good so we will not get on God's path by being good. Jesus put it this way:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death" (John 8:51).

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26).

In other words, you receive the benefits of "there is no death" (Prov 12:28) and "shall never die" (John 11:26), not by being good, but by faith in the only One who was good:

"the righteousness of God [read, being right with God] has been manifested apart from the law [meaning, apart from good works to earn it], although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it [see Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4 for instance]—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe" (Romans 3:21-22).


We find the ultimate expression of the "righteousness" talked about here in Proverbs in the Good News of Jesus Christ, His righteousness, His perfect life of no sin, given to those who give their sin-filled lives to Him. At that point, they begin down the "path of righteousness," where they are becoming in their actions what they are, namely, righteous (see Romans 6:13).

The "path" metaphor compares everyone's lifestyle to a journey from wherever it is we start out to our final destination.

I leave you with the question Jesus asked Martha "Do you believe this?" Your answer to that question tells you which path you're on right now.

 

Postings on Proverbs 12:13

“An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

But the righteous will escape from trouble” (NASB)

The poem “Sticks and stones” naively proclaims, “words will never hurt me.” Solomon disagrees, as this proverb is about how our own mouths can hurt us, terribly.

Who?  An evil man vs. a righteous man

What?  Is ensnared vs. will escape from trouble

Where?  Anywhere

When?  Anytime

Why?  Transgression vs. [righteousness]

How?  The implication is both of their mouths are what cause one being ensnared and the other escaping from trouble

Words?  Evil, ensnared, transgression, righteous, escape, trouble

Notice, it doesn’t say the righteous man avoids trouble, but that when he’s in trouble his mouth helps him escape (see Longman 275).

Notice, your character comes out of your mouth – the lips of evil men transgress – or as Jesus put it “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45) and “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart” (Matthew 15:18).

The metaphor of a trap vividly expresses how “lethal speech [can] take a victim by surprise and…destroy him before he can deliver himself” (Waltke 530). 

When I was a kid, my mom used to tell me “if you didn’t have a mouth you’d never get in trouble” (oh, the irony that I’ve been getting paid to talk for over a decade now!).

There are so many sins that come from our mouths, and I’m sure that when you read the words “sins of your mouth” that one particular kind of sin comes to mind, whether it’s lying or gossip or ridicule or disrespect or being combative or a number of them or something else.  So, what do you do?

First, know our mouths reflect our hearts.  They convey what we really want, what we think we need.  So, what is it you wanted when you lied – a person’s respect? To protect your reputation?  To advance yourself?  Often people gossip to make themselves seem stronger or better than they actually are – is that you?  What’s behind your words?  Why did you say what you said?  Critical to know what’s driving your words?

Second, when you know what’s driving you, you’ve likely found some lie you’re telling yourself.  How?  When it comes to lying, the lie might be “Their respect is more important than my character” or “than the truth” or “than what God thinks.”

Third, if we really dig deep here we may find an idol, a functional god that controls our thoughts and our actions more than the one True God, Jesus Christ, does.  We turn from our commitment to Him as our Savior and Lord and believe / trust the lie of the idol who promises some form of rescue from something bad if we’ll do what it says.

If you’re honest, your mouths show your desperate need for a Savior who spoke perfectly, in every situation to every person for 30+ years. This Savior doesn’t promise He’ll just clean your mouth up. He promises to trade the recording of every word you’ve ever said with every word He said, His perfect, sinless, mouth-righteousness becoming yours, and at the same time, He promises to take the punishment you deserve for your sinful, imperfect, wretched recordings. Then, after that great exchange, He will begin the work of cleaning your heart, which will automatically clean your mouth.

“Out of the mouth, the heart speaks.” What does your mouth say about your heart? What does your mouth say about who you’re most committed to? Is your mouth setting traps for you – I know mine has and probably is! So, what are you going to do about it?

I hope that helps!  TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 12:11

“He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense” (NASB)

Observation: What does Proverbs 12:11 say?

The word “but” shows this is an antithetic parallelism, the second line being the opposite of the first line, a fact which helps with interpretation.

Who?  Anyone

What?  One man has plenty of bread, while the other man pursued worthless things.

Where and When?  Anywhere and at anytime

Why?  The first man had plenty of bread because he tilled his land; the second man pursued worthless things because he lacked sense

How?  Not sure

Word Studies: plenty, pursues, worthless, “lacks sense”

Line 1 seems to be a specific example of hard work, while line 2 is a general statement. Line 1 just seems obvious—no farmer can have bread unless he tills his land first.

The reason for blessing in line 1 is tilling land; the reason for wasted pursuits in line 2 is lacking sense. The blessing in line 1 is having plenty of bread; the curse of line 2 is pursing worthless things.

How does “lacks sense” correspond to tilling one’s land?  How does pursuing “worthless things” correspond to having plenty of bread?

If the parallels above match the text, then this verse is a chiasm (AB, BA), meaning the emphasis in the proverb the middle section, the B, plenty of bread and pursuing worthless things, namely, the focus is on the results.

Notice, both lines show people exerting energy, one for something worthwhile (having bread) and the other for things that are “worthless.”

Interpretation: What does Proverbs 12:11 mean?

The fool in line 2 is characterized by a “lack of heart” (a literal translation of the words the NASB translate “lacks sense,” which means without judgment or insight [Waltke 91], not having the sense to see how wrong or empty one's decisions are [Waltke 95]). Longman saying “it may be said that those who lack substance (heart) purse that which lacks substance (“emptiness”).”

Waltke makes more sense than my statement above about this proverb being a chiasm when he takes tilling as parallel to pursuing or chasing, and the “land” as parallel to worthless or empty things, which he calls “ventures or gambles that do not involve hard work and/or contribute to the common wealth” (528).

Application: What does Proverbs 12:11 mean to me?

Son, no one did this better than the Savior.  Jesus never pursued worthless things.  He always made the most of His time (Eph 5:16).  How did He do this? By saying only what God told Him to say (John 12:49-50) and doing only what God wanted Him to do (John 4:34) because, He said, "I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:36, see also John 6:38, 17:4).

Also, notice the wisdom in this verse.  Both men were working hard (tilling and pursuing). Both men were focused.  Both men were driven.  The difference is not their work ethic; the difference is what they’re working at, one was worthwhile (tilling his land so he could eat), the other was “worthless,” empty, producing nothing of any real benefit.

Wise men, men who don’t “lack sense,” can see through the many encouragements they get on a daily basis to pursue “worthless things” and keep their minds fixed on pursuing what’s best.  Tilling land to have plenty of bread means planning, foresight and delayed gratification, doing hard work now for a future pay off.

Fools are regularly enticed by, succumb to, and even vigorously defend their right to do what's worthless.  They trade what’s best for what’s comfortable, what’s fun, and what’s easy.

Son, what kind of man will you be? I’ve been praying since you were born that you would be a wise man, a man who lives for the smile of God on his life (e.g., 2 Cor 5:9), a man who can say with Jesus "I glorified God on earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4), and this verse is one of hundreds that tells you how.

I hope that helps!  TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 12:10

“A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal,

but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel” (NASB)

Before asking “What does this text mean?,” we must first ask “What does this text say?”  So, some of these questions may be obvious to you, but I ask them anyway because sometimes obvious questions lead to not-so-obvious answers.

Observations:

1.     What kind of parallelism is this? “But” suggests antithetic, but the two sides of the parallelism don’t seem to connect to each other, at least at first, but remember Proverbs 2:4 suggests wisdom does not give up her treasures easily.

2.     Who? A righteous man is contrasted with the category, wicked people.

3.     What? Regarding “the life of his animal” is contrasted with actions that look compassionate, but are actually cruel.

4.     Where & When? Anywhere and at anytime

5.     Why? The first does what he does because he is righteous, the second because he is wicked.

6.     How? Probably a myriad of different ways for both actions and intentions

7.     Does this refer to the animal’s life in general, caring that it has life, or caring what kind of life it has, or caring about the difficulty of the animal’s life, or caring about what the animal wants?

8.     How can compassion be cruel?  I could understand it better if it said their compassion is sinful, or selfish, but not cruel.

9.   Why does the author put "even" in the second part?

Word Studies

1.     Regard = “listens to, pays attention to, and internally empathizes with the need” (Waltke 1:526)

2.     Life = “the passionate drives and appetites” (Waltke 1:90, 526)

3.     Compassion = “the tender yearnings, affections, and love by a superior for a helpless inferior” (Waltke 1:527)

4.     Cruel = “insensitive, merciless, willfully, knowingly and unrelentingly inflicts pain on others” (Waltke 1:312)

I really don’t get how this verse is a parallelism or what the wisdom is, so I'm going to talk it out because that seems to help me.  I guess compassion is what links both sides of the parallelism. 

The righteous are just compassionate, even to the desires of their animals.  The wicked are not sensitive to people at all, let alone animals, but inflict pain even when being compassionate.  I need more help, so let's go to the commentaries.

Both Waltke (1:526-7) and Longman (273) say this proverbs is an argument from the lesser to the greater, namely, if the righteous man cares for his animal how much more will he care for his fellow man?  Waltke also says the second stanza is sarcastic because the wicked are by nature God-ignoring and others-disregarding (527) so "even" their compassion causes harm.

Now I see some of the wisdom here (I say “some of” because I don’t presume to think I see all the wisdom in this verse).  First, people often project a better person than they actually are, so you can learn a lot about what a person is on the inside by how they treat their animals.  Second, there can be a correlation, though not 100%, between how people treat their animals and how they treat people—if they abuse one they’ll likely abuse the other (sometimes, like in many animal rights circles, they treat animals better than they treat humans, especially, unborn humans).  Third, some acts that might fall under the category of compassion can actually harm people, even those that are trying to be helped.  Finally, some people are so insensitive to other people that they are actually cruel when trying to be kind.

I see this wisdom so clearly in my wife, who just loves our dog Riley.
She thinks about her needs, cares about how she’s doing and what life is like for her.  She does many kind things for her, and I often mock it in my head if not out loud.  However, after studying this proverb I’ve been feeling conviction for how I’ve encouraged her not to be very concerned about Riley because “she’s just a dog.”

We can also see this wisdom clearly in Jesus (Col 2:2-3), who taught us that if God takes care of birds how much more will He take care of us (Matt 6:26), and who never did anything cruel, but was so sensitive to the needs of others, both physical and especially spiritual, that His compassion drove Him to teach (Mark 6:34), to do miracles (Mark 8:2), to heal (Matt 14:14; Mark 1:41, 9:22), to weep (Matt 23:37-39) and, obviously, to endure the Cross.

I hope that helps! TII!!! 

Postings on Proverbs 12:9

“Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant

Than he who honors himself and lacks bread” (NASB)

At first glance, this proverbs seems to be about hypocrisy, that what you are vs. how you present yourself to others.  Let’s see if that’s what it’s really about after studying it.

Since one of my goals in this blog is not to just give you my conclusions, but to show you how I got there let’s make some observations and ask some questions (again, I am determining what the proverb says before asking what it means):

1.  It is an antithetic parallelism, the second line contrasting the first, so “light esteem” is contrasted with honoring himself and having a servant is contrasted with lacking bread.

2.  Questions: What does “lightly esteemed” mean? What does having a servant indicate? What does lacking bread have to do with honoring oneself?

3.  What are the key words?  Better, lightly esteemed, honors

4.  This is about an individual (“he,” “himself”)

5.  The first situation described is “better” than the second, so being lightly esteemed while having a servant, is better than having honor and no bread.

6.  This is true anywhere and at anytime.

7.  More questions: How does one have a servant while the other lacks bread?  Is this about the importance of having money rather than the acclaim of people?

Proverbs don’t give up their treasures easily. When it’s hard to figure out what the wisdom is in a given proverb you need to take some time to meditate on it.

I can see someone saying "I’m not sure why it’s better to have less honor with a servant than it is to have honor and no bread." In fact, in Southern California (where I grew up), obeying this proverb would not be considered wise. Many eat Ramen and off dollar menus while going into serious debt just to appear to be more rich than they are. This, while unhealthy, can help them get more attention from the opposite sex or more opportunities to make money.

Upon further reflection, the key to understanding the wisdom in this proverb is that the man honors himself.  He doesn’t deserve the honor he gets (he can’t even provide for his family) while the first man may deserve honor (he has a servant), but doesn’t have it nor does he seek to get it for himself. He would rather be overlooked by society than live above his means because he is modest and humble, not at all given to a showy pretentiousness.

In contrast, the man who “falsely esteems” (IBHS 430-1) himself by declaring that he is worthy of honor is a proud poser, who really has nothing at all to be proud of (Bridges 136). This petty person is pretending to have wealth he doesn’t have, spending “his sparse resources to keep up a vain show” (Waltke 526).

Though focusing on undeserved honor for being something you aren't, this proverb has far-reaching ramifications. It could just as easily read:

“Better is she who is lightly esteemed and has integrity, then she who honors himself and lacks it.”

“Better is he who is lightly esteemed and holds his tongue, then he who honors himself with gossip & slander.”

“Better is she who is lightly esteemed and does his job, then she who is lazy and honors herself through politics.”

“Better is he who is lightly esteemed though reading his Bible and praying for others, then he who tells people he does when he doesn’t.”

“Better is he who is lightly esteemed and committed to Christ, then he who says he is when he isn’t.”

“Better is he who is lightly esteemed and pleases God, then he who gains honor by pleasing men.”

“Better is she who is lightly esteemed and bold for Christ, then one who says she is when she's really a coward.”

Writing your own proverbs after understanding what is says and what it means can be a great way to applying the wisdom to your life.  In the end, Proverbs 12:9 not saying that reputation is unimportant (cf. 10:7, 22:1; Eccl 7:1), but that it’s just “not as important as reality” (Longman 273). Our one-liner of wisdom for this is “Be who you are.”

Do you deserve your reputation? Do you project an image of yourself that isn't the real you? Be who you are. Live one life not two, so that your reputation and your character are one, and you will experience the smile of God.

I hope that helps! TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 12:8

"A man will be praised according to his insight,
But one of perverse mind will be despised" (NASB)

Though I've planned to add to this blog many times in the past 3 months and just haven't done so, and though I already examined this verse and have had the notes stored in my Bible for those months, it's now time, finally!, to return to blogging through Proverbs -- just deactivated my Facebook account to give me more time :)

Now, before finding out what the verse means & how it's relevant for life, we need to know what it says, so let's start with some observations (asking Who, What, Where, When, Why and How):

1. This is about an individual, not groups of people ("a man," "one")
2. One person is praised by others while the other person is despised.
3. This is true in every location and anytime in history.
4. Public "praise" or honor is the response to a man's "insight" while public "despising" or shame  is the response to a man's "perverse mind" (lit. heart).
5. Their respective reputations are the result of interaction with the 2 kinds of people.
6. The word "but" shows "insight" is being contrasted with a "perverse mind" so these should be seen as opposites.

It seems to me that the most important word in this proverbs is "insight," which speaks of "the ability to recognize the true nature of a situation," allowing someone to navigate around the difficulties to make decisions that benefit him (Longman 273). Today, we'd say this person can "read" people or circumstances.



There are 4 other uses of the Hebrew word translated here "insight" in the book of Proverbs with 13:15 being a very close parallel to this one ("Good understanding produces favor"). Insight is the source of blessing (16:22). It is demonstrated by people who don't get angry easily (19:11) and tragically, insight is despised by fools (23:9).


In contrast, the "mind" (the place where everyone's thoughts, emotions, words and deeds are determined) of the second man is "perverse," meaning "bent" or "warped" (Waltke 515, 525), "distressed, disturbed" (NIDOTTE 3:340-1).

This defect in his soul will cause him to unwittingly head into difficulties rather than away from them because he is unable to see the truth about people or situations. Because this clueless person keeps making suicidal decisions, the best case scenario for him is that he "amuses people and becomes the butt of [their] jokes" (Waltke 525), but this proverb warns that people will eventually refuse to put up with him and view him with contempt. No wonder Proverbs 13:15 describes this man's life has hard and headed for ruin.

Much of Proverbs is about avoiding punishment, discipline and ultimately destruction while at the same time maximizing blessing in life, so when Proverbs 22:1 says "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches" and one might ask, "How do I gain the blessing of a good reputation?"

Proverbs 12:8 comes along and answers "With insight." That sounds good to me! I want me some of that, but "How do I grow in insight?" The answer from Proverbs is keep wanting, keep praying for, keep learning, keep meditating on and keep loving the wisdom of Proverbs 10-31, which we will return to tomorrow. So, the question this proverbs leaves you with is what do people admire you for?  Is it your insight?

Hope that helps!!! TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 12:7

"The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
But the house of the righteous will stand" (NASB)

While doing errands today I listened briefly to a radio show about how to become a millionaire. It never actually said how to become one though. It just gave a bunch of success stories and cliff hangers that make people buy the discounted book with the free CD to the first 100 callers! However, one good thing they mentioned concerned investing now so that you have enough to retire -- bring the future into the here and now! That's actually what this proverb is teaching us about wickedness and righteousness.

We are surrounded in the news, or maybe even in our own lives, with injustice, pain, sorrow, anger, frustration, broken dreams -- all at the hands of other people. In our "I want it yesterday" culture, this proverb reminds us not to evaluate where people are at in the here and now.

Before I start digging into this proverb, one rule for clarification: Proverbs are not universal sayings or promises. They are statements that are generally true, though not 100% of the time.

The best way for me to explain this is with a clear case example like Proverbs 10:4b "the hand of the diligent makes rich." Many of us know many very hard working people who are no where near rich, but it's saying that in general, those who work hard and aren't lazy get rich and those who are rich worked really hard to get where they are.

Now, God built justice into the fabric of reality. "What goes around comes around" and "You reap what you sow" are common idioms we've had for centuries.

So, in the here and now it's easy for us to wonder "Why do the wicked prosper? Why do they get away with so much and live lives that seem so blessed?" but this proverbs says "The wise person knows their blessing will not last forever. Their wickedness will catch up with them."

Because of their wicked plans (12:5) and their wicked words (12:6) they will be "overthrown." Something, maybe unexpected, will turn their world upside down. The boomerang effect will be so thorough in fact that they will be "no more." They will not recover from their fall. I can't help but remember Haman in Esther 7 when I think about this proverb.

Notice, it doesn't say "the righteous will stand," but "the house of the righteous will stand." The word "house" is a metaphor for the future of the righteous person, and in particular, her descendents. Through her life, she gave them a solid foundation of integrity (12:5) and love for God and man (12:6) that will allow them to be pillars in their communities and weather the storms of life. They "stand" while the wicked are "overthrown and are no more." I think of John & Charles Wesley's mother here, a woman everyone should admire and emulate.

This proverb makes us wise by encouraging us to take the long view of what it means to be successful -- Saddam Hussein was wicked and successful until he as overthrown, captured and hung! -- and by suggesting that success is not measured by wealth or fame or influence or stuff, but by a family that is strong in the Lord.

"God, as I get married in a couple months, I am terrified of the responsibility of being a husband and a father. Please teach me how to love like Christ and to leave a dynasty that is strong in You. Amen."

I hope that helps! TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 12:6

"The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,
But the mouth of the upright will deliver them" (NASB)

Growing up, my mom always told me "Jonathan, if you didn't have a mouth you'd never get in trouble" (I think it's ironic that for the past 8 years I've made a living with my mouth :P).

Obviously, this is a proverb about the use of our mouths. Previously, Solomon has shown how sinners are characterized by their destructive speech (see 1:10-19, 2:12-15, 4:14-19, 6:12-19, 10:32). As I read this proverb I was reminded of Jesus' words, "the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart" (Matt 12:34) -- "the heart" in the Bible does not refer to your emotions, but rather it refers to your core, your mission-control center, the place where all your actions originate, your soul, the real you!

Notice the classic "two kinds of people in the world" antithesis, the wicked & the upright, who reveal their "real you" as they use their mouths in two distinctly different ways.

The Hebrew word translated "wicked" refers to people who benefit themselves by disadvantaging others (Waltke, 110), seen here in words that "lie in wait for blood." This is a metaphor, describing how the words of the wicked "have the effect of entrapping and killing unsuspecting innocent and upright citizens" (Waltke, 523).

 

The Hebrew word translated "upright" conveys the idea of "conduct that does not go astray or out of bounds of [God's] morally fixed order" (Waltke, 98). So, while one plans harm, the other keeps from harm. One is interested in destruction, the other in salvation. One is filling their minds with damaging someone, whereas the other is about premeditated protection and rescue. One hates while the other loves.

In the end, Proverbs 12:6 is a warning. Listen closely to people's words. What a person says about others reveals what kind of person he is. While it's critically important to ask, "What do my family's, friends' or co-workers' words reveal about them?" let's get personal instead and ask, "What do my words reveal about me?"

I'm thinking about this in regards to my words about those who have harmed me? Am I planning or wishing their destruction? Am I thinking about, even praying about their good (cf. Matt 5:43-47)? Do my words show I'm all about me and my feelings and what I want, even at the expense of others? Do my words show I'm really about loving my neighbor like I love myself, so that just as I'd never wish pain or harm on myself so I never would on others as well?

What do your words reveal about you? Hope that helps! TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 12:5

"The thoughts of the righteous are just,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful" (NASB)

I listed to rap music when I was a kid, and one of my favorite songs had this line: "What's running through my mind comes through in my walk." In a very real way, you are what you think and you do what you think, and it seems that's what this proverb is talking about, but there's more here than meets the eye.

Observations: As with almost all proverbs, line 1 is understood with input from line 2 and vice versa, and the word "but" is a clue that whatever is being said in line 1 the opposite is being said in line 2. "Thoughts" and "counsels" are the same, but "the righteous" are being contrasted with "the wicked" and the opposite of "just" is "deceitful." Now, I don't typically think of the opposite of justice being deceit. The opposite of deceit is truth-telling. The opposite of justice is unfairness. Solomon saw them as opposites, but how?

Notice that what's being talked about seems to be internal. "Thoughts / counsels" seem to refer to the dialogue we have with ourselves all day long. The question this proverb might be asking is "What direction do your thoughts take you -- towards justice, doing what's right, or towards deceit, not telling the truth?"

Interpretation: After meditating on this verse and reading some commentaries, the words "thoughts" and "counsels" are better translated "plans" and "guidance," referring to the kind of advice you are given from people in order to achieve some goal.

So, advice that encourages you in the direction of "justice," of doing what you should do rather than taking advantage of people comes from a righteous person, whereas advice that encourages you to be "deceitful," to trick and damage others for your own benefit (see 11:1) comes from a wicked person.

So, instead of this being a proverb about checking your thoughts and where they take you (though that's very important, see Matthew 15:18-19 and James 4:1-3), it's actually a warning about those you allow the privilege of directing your life. It's asking "Are your advisers righteous or wicked? The answer to that question is seen in the kind of advice they give you? In general, is it an encouragement to do what's good and best, or when examined carefully, are you being encouraged to do what's good and best for you?"

Hope that helps!!! TII!!!

Postings on Proverbs 1:1, 10:1

"The Proverbs of Solomon" (1:1, 10:1)

The first 9 chapters of Proverbs are 14 sermons, all with the same point: Get Wisdom!!!

When I was a kid I wanted a metal detector so bad. I wanted to go to the beach and find money hidden in the sand. When I actually got one, I walked around a park in Costa Mesa, CA for hours looking for money -- never found anything though! How a person gets wisdom, the passion we should bring to this endeavor, is compared to the passion you might have if discovered there was buried treasure in your backyard (2:4) -- for those in California, a backyard is a patch of dirt or grass located in the back of your house :P

Then, holding on to that wisdom, meaning living your life according to it, is better than being rich (3:14, 8:10, 8:19). If gold and jewels and money were on one side of a scale & wisdom lie on the other, there would no comparison -- wisdom is far more valuable (3:15, 8:11). In fact, "nothing you desire" -- technology, friends, knowledge, cars, houses, a spouse, influence, etc. -- nothing at all "compares with" wisdom (3:15). Now, if the primary author of Scripture is God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:19-21), then this is not human opinion, but God Himself telling us what He wants us to value greatly.

In general, getting wisdom is accomplished by reading, studying, meditating on, talking about, writing about God's Word. However, after 3 years of studying Proverbs one of the things I learned was that in chapters 1-9 Solomon is encouraging his readers to get the wisdom found in chapters 10-31. When it says "Get wisdom" it means, learn and then live chapters 10-31.

Now, I studied the Bible consistently, but after preaching all 14 sermons in chapters 1-9 twice and challenging the people under my care to get wisdom, I kept being challenged with this question: "Am I getting wisdom with the same intensity that I'd have for buried treasure?" The answer was "No," so to take my own medicine I'm going to search for wisdom and pray that I get some by going verse by verse through chapters 10-31 in this blog. I started doing this before blogs existed, but stopped when life got too busy. So, on a regular basis I'm going to take that task up again here, starting in Proverbs 12:5 where I left off.

See you soon!!! TII!!!