Proverbs Reading Challenge – Chapter 9

Posted on February 5, 2020 by dkoop

PROVERBS 9

 Greetings!  I am continuing to pray for you as you read God’s word today.

Proverbs 9 ends what is called the “First Major Section” of the book (which is written as a loving father speaking to his children and emphasizes the topic of wisdom).   Proverbs 9 closes with a final appeal to wisdom.   Wisdom and Foolishness are portrayed as female; they are also in opposition to one another.   Woman Wisdom (vv. 1–12) against Woman Folly (vv. 13–18).

Wisdom and Folly (foolishness) are portrayed in this chapter as rival young women, each preparing a feast and inviting people to it. But Wisdom is a responsible woman of character, while Folly is a prostitute serving stolen food. Wisdom appeals first to the mind.  Folly to the senses. It is easier to excite the senses, but the pleasures of Folly are temporary. By contrast, the satisfaction that wisdom brings lasts forever.

 Woman Wisdom’s Appeal (9:1–12)

The general meaning of this passage is clear, but there are a few mysteries.  The meaning of Wisdom’s house of seven pillars is uncertain. Is it a house or a temple? Solomon’s temple that he built in Jerusalem had two pillars (1 Kgs 7:15). The significance of “seven” is not obvious. Some have connected it to the seven planets, but a more reasonable explanation is that it refers to the seven days of creation (note Wisdom’s role in creation in 8:22–31).

Wisdom dismisses her servant girls prior to the banquet to send them out to invite in the guests.  This is in contrast to Woman Folly waiting to ambush passers-by (v. 14). The picture of servants sent out to bring guests to a feast may have contributed to the parable of the great banquet (Luke 14:15–24); note also that v. 5 may be behind Jesus’ words in John 6:51–56.

The feast Wisdom provides is symbolic of life, health, and celebration. It contrasts with the banquet of the dead (v. 18) behind Woman Folly’s door.

The warning against trying to instruct mockers (vv. 7–9) is characteristic of Proverbs. Even as it urges the young man to faithfulness and discretion, it always recognizes that there are some who will never listen. This reality appears even in 1:7, the theme verse of Proverbs.

Verse 10, which also relates to 1:7, reasserts the teaching that Wisdom apart from God is impossible.

*Are you foolish or wise? You can tell by the way you respond to correction, instruction and God’s Word.  Instead of tossing back a quick excuse, a put-down or a clever response, listen to what is being said.  Learn from teachers and those who instruct you.  You can even learn from critics, this is the path to wisdom. Wisdom begins with knowing God. He gives insight into living because he created life. To know God is not just to know the facts about him, but to stand in awe of him and have a relationship with him.

The promise of life (v. 11) and statement of individual responsibility (v. 12) are a fitting conclusion to Wisdom’s final appeal. The joy she offers is for the taking, but everyone must bear responsibility for his or her own decisions.

Woman Folly’s Appeal (9:13–18). Like the prostitute (7:11), Woman Folly is a loud and careless temptress. The parallel of vv. 14–16 to vv. 3–4 is obvious, but Woman Folly sits and tempts those who pass by like a prostitute (Gen 38:14) or like a criminal ambush (Prov 1:11).

(9:17) Woman Folly’s promise of “stolen water” and “food eaten in secret” (v. 17) is especially significant. Some have suggested that bread and water contrast with the sumptuous feast of Woman Wisdom, but more is implied than that. “Stolen water” looks back to 5:15–18, where sexual relations are described as the drinking of water, and is from another man’s wife. “Food eaten in secret” is literally “bread of secrecy.” It refers to the criminal conspiracies that tempt the young man to easy money, as in 1:11–14; 4:14–17 (see esp. v. 17); and 6:12–15.

(9:18) This verse looks back to the two tempters—the one who draws the youth into a life of crime and the woman who draws him into promiscuity. Both are in the house of Woman Folly, and both draw more victims to the banquet of the dead.  “Her guests are in the depths of hell.”

There is something “sweet” or “pleasant’ (vs. 17) about sin.  I heard someone say, “if you don’t think sin is fun, you haven’t tried the right one.”   It’s all pleasant and sweet at first but then every kick has its kickback.   We must look ahead beyond the temporary excitement to the dangers of continuing to live that way.

Until tomorrow,   Darrell

http://www.Upwards.Church

 

Sources:
J Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible
Life Application Bible Notes
 New American Commentary

 

Posted in Proverbs Reading Challenge | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Proverbs Reading Challenge – Chapter 8

Posted on February 4, 2020 by dkoop

PROVERBS 8

  Proverbs 8 has more to say about wisdom.  We can break it into three major sections:

  1. Wisdom Calls (8:1-11)

(8:1–3). This is Wisdom’s second appeal, after 1:20–33. Wisdom calls for an audience at the places where she is most likely to find one: from the heights by the road, at crossroads, and at entrances to the city.  The point is that wisdom is for ordinary people—not confined to the academic classroom or to sacred parts of the temple. Wisdom is accessible to all. The attainment of Wisdom is not a quest but a response.

(8:4–11) Wisdom is instructive for all humanity.  Wisdom is right, and more valuable than gold and jewels. While claiming that wisdom’s gifts are for everyone (v. 4), Wisdom especially offers understanding to the foolish (v. 5). Getting biblical wisdom is not so much a matter of intellect as it is faith and obedience.

Wisdom (6) speaks what is right and true and not anything twisted or perverse (v. 8).  Those who know wisdom can agree with this(v. 9; see Luke 7:35).

The availability of Wisdom to all does not mean it is cheap.  Wisdom is better than silver, gold, or rubies. The value of Wisdom over money is its ability to deliver true happiness and protection.

2. Wisdom’s Characteristics (8:12-21)

(8:12–16).  Wisdom teaches how to live a meaningful life with direction and guidance as opposed to a reckless one.

Evil behavior, pride, and perverse speech are to be rejected (v. 13). Those who practice such behavior however intelligent they may be, are fools in the fullest sense that they are without wisdom.

Wisdom gives direction to life and strength to meet its challenges (v. 14). Decisions made apart from forethought and discretion are bound to fail.

Wisdom is essential in the all-important arena of government (vv. 15–16). Rulers may not possess Wisdom, but they should, because it allows them to make correct decisions.

(8:17–21).  This section emphasizes the material benefits of Wisdom. Wisdom has riches and wealth (v. 18) and bestows its treasures on those who love wisdom (v. 21). At the same time, not all of wisdom’s benefits are material in nature.  There is also  “righteous-ness” (vv. 18, 20), a quality that is far better than gold or silver.

The point is that Wisdom offers the way to prosperity.  It is based on principles that are woven into the fabric of creation (vv. 22–31). Avoiding self-indulgence and schemes for quick money lead to a life that is healthy in every way.

3. Wisdom is Personified in Christ (8:22-36)

God says wisdom is primary and fundamental. It is the foundation on which all life is built.

In 1 Cor 1:24,  Paul calls Christ “the wisdom of God.”

From this point on, it seems as if Jesus Christ is speaking.   I love how the Old Testament speaks of Christ and introduces all people to him.  Jesus didn’t just show up in the New Testament, he has been God from all eternity.

The LORD possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old [Prov. 8:22].

I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there ever was an earth [Prov. 8:23].

This is the One who is the subject of John’s first statements: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). Way back in eternity He was God, and He was in the beginning with God. He was in the beginning that has no beginning, because “in the beginning was the Word.” He was already past tense at the time of the beginning.

When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:

When he assigned the sea its limit…when he marked out the foundations of the earth [Prov. 8:28-29]

Christ was there at creation.  He was also participating in creation.

There I was beside Him, as a master craftsman, rejoicing always before him;

Rejoicing in his inhabited world and my delight was with the sons of men [Prov. 8:30-31].

All things that were made were made by Jesus Christ.

Paul may have alluded to some of Solomon’s statements about wisdom to describe Christ’s presence at the creation of the world (Colossians 1:15-17; 2:2,3)

Blessed is the man who listens to me….

Whoever finds me finds life [Prov. 8:34-35].

Sounds like “I am the way the truth and the life” John 14:6   If you have Christ you have life.

Thank you Jesus!  Darrell

http://www.Upwards.Church

Sources:
Bible Exposition Commentary – Old Testament
J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible
Life Application Bible Notes
Posted in Proverbs Reading Challenge | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Proverbs Reading Challenge – Chapter 7

Posted on February 3, 2020 by dkoop

PROVERBS 7

Congratulations!  If you are reading this you have completed one week.

At the beginning of chapter 7, for the third time, Solomon calls the young person back to the Word of God, (vs. 1) because keeping God’s commandments is a matter of life or death. The adulteress lives on a dead-end street: “Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death” (v. 27)

The familiar phrase “apple of your eye” (v. 2) refers to the pupil of the eye. We protect our eyes because they’re valuable to us, and so should we honor and protect God’s Word by obeying it. Sexual sin often begins with undisciplined eyes  (Matt. 5:27-30), but the heart of the problem is… the heart (Prov. 7:2-3). If we love God’s wisdom as we love those in our family, we wouldn’t want to visit the house of the harlot.

This chapter vividly describes a naive young man who falls into the trap of the adulteress. Note the steps that lead to his destruction.

He puts himself in a place where temptation will be (vv. 6-9). You get the impression that this young man is either terribly dumb or very proud, convinced that he can play with sin and get away with it. But he’s only tempting himself and heading for trouble. To begin with, he’s out at night (“walking in darkness”—see 2:13; John 3:19-21; 1 John 1:5-7), and he’s deliberately walking near the place of temptation and danger. He didn’t listen the wise counsel of the Lord, “Remove your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house” (5:8 NKJV). God’s Word wasn’t controlling his feet (3:26; 4:27).

We can’t help being tempted, but we can certainly help by not putting ourselves in places we know there will be temptation.

The woman pours on the temptation thick (vv. 10-20). Like the deadly spider in the web, the woman was watching at the window, ready to pounce on her prey. She was a man’s wife, but when he was out of town, she dressed like a prostitute so she could attract the men who were searching for her services.  While her husband was away, she saw no reason why she shouldn’t make some money and enjoy herself at the same time. She’d been in the streets, looking for victims (Prov. 7:11-12), but now one was coming right to her door!

She caught him kissed him (Prov. 5:3), and convinced him that it was an opportune time for him to visit her. Before leaving town, her husband had gone with her to the temple where he’d sacrificed a peace offering (Lev. 7:11-21), and she had some of the meat at home. She would prepare him a feast that he would never forget. “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, ‘I have done no wickedness’ ” (Prov. 30:20, NKJV).

She appeals to the young man’s male ego as she flatters him and makes him think he’s very special to her. What she’s offering to him she would never offer to anyone else! She appeals to his imagination as she describes her beautiful bed and the expensive spices that perfume it. She assures him that nobody will find out about it (except that somebody’s watching, 7:6) and that her husband won’t be home for many days. They have plenty of time to enjoy themselves.

He is destroyed by giving in to the temptation  (vv. 21-27). The youth made a sudden decision to follow the woman, and when he did, he began to act like an animal. He was no longer a young man, made in the image of God, but an ox going to the slaughter or a bird walking into the trap. Human beings are the only creatures in God’s creation who can choose what kind of creatures they want to be. God wants us to be sheep (Ps. 23:1; John 10; 1 Peter 2:25), but there are other options, such as horses or mules (Ps. 32:9), or even hogs and dogs (2 Peter 2:22). When we live outside the will of God, we lose our privileges as human beings made in His divine image.

By going to her house, her table, and her bed, the young man willfully disobeyed God’s Law, but the Lord didn’t intervene. He allowed the youth to indulge in his sensual appetites and suffer the consequences.   If the youth had looked up to the Lord and remembered His Word (Prov. 7:24), looked within and kept his heart focused on God’s truth (v. 25), and looked ahead to see the terrible consequences of his sin (vv. 26-27), he would have turned around and fled from the harlot’s clutches.

There are definite steps you can take to avoid sexual sins. First, guard your mind. Don’t read books, look at pictures, or encourage fantasies that stimulate the wrong desires. Second, keep away from settings or people that tempt you to sin. Third, don’t think only of the moment — focus on the future. Today’s thrill may lead to tomorrow’s ruin.

Until tomorrow, Darrell

http://www.Upwards.Church

Sources:
Bible Exposition Commentary – Old Testament
Life Application Bible Notes
Posted in Proverbs Reading Challenge | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Proverbs Reading Challenge – Chapter 6

Posted on February 2, 2020 by dkoop

PROVERBS 6

 I hope that your day has been good.  I am praying for God to speak to you as we continue reading His word.

Chapter 6 deals with four enemies that can destroy a person financially, physically, morally and spiritually: unwise financial commitments (6:1–5)., laziness, (6:6–11), moral failures (6:12–15) & (6:16–19) and lust (vv. 20-35).

Unwise financial commitments (6:1–5)

This passage says that it is not wise to cosign a note “put up security for another” or, if a person has already made that mistake, they should get out of the arrangement as quickly as possible.

To co-sign or “put up security” (6:1) means to take responsibility for another person’s loan; so if the borrower defaults, the cosigner has to pay the obligation.   The idea is that no one should get into legal agreements and indebtedness in which circumstances are out of your control. This is certainly the case when co-signing for another.

Laziness, (6:6–11)

The ants are models of diligence in that they work tirelessly and they prepare for the winter in spite of having no administration to lay out economic plans. Laziness leads to inescapable poverty and ruin. “Like a bandit” and an “armed man,” laziness will steals time and resources until there is nothing left.

Moral failures:  scoundrel & villain (6:12–15) & 7 deadly sins (6:16–19)

Take note of two more people: the scoundrel and villain (6:12–15) the “scoundrel” is someone who works to undermine social and personal relationships for his own benefit. In particular he attempts to corrupt an organization’s ability to run smoothly (government, company or church).  The “villain” joins in the chaos caused by the scoundrel (they often run together) to steal something: resources, power or recognition they have not earned.

7 Deadly sins: The medieval church had its list of “seven deadly sins” (pride, anger, envy, impurity, gluttony, slothfulness, and avarice). Here, Proverbs provides us with a list that may be considered the Israelite version of the seven deadly sins. This teaching is arranged for easy memorization. The first five things the Lord hates are body parts set in a sequence that moves generally from the head to the feet (eyes, tongue, hands, heart, feet), and the last two are specific types of persons (the false witness and the troublemaker).

In each of the first five members of the list, some body part is associated with a particular type of sin. More specifically, the body parts that act out certain sins (e.g., hands that shed blood) represent the distorted personalities behind such actions.  it is that the verse uses such strong language in v. 16, saying that God “hates” or “detests” these things. The person whose eyes, hands, or feet carry out such deeds has a twisted soul and  grossly corrupts the image of God that should be recognizable in every human.

“Haughty eyes” are eyes that are lifted up in arrogance. The position of the eyes describes the attitude of the heart. The arrogant spirit may vaunt itself against any and all people, but fundamentally this reflects haughtiness before God and refusal to reckon with one’s finitude and creatureliness.

A “lying tongue” is a person who has no regard for truth. To lie is to distort reality for one’s own purposes and bespeaks a refusal to submit to norms of right and wrong; by lying, one seeks to rearrange not just individual facts but one’s just place in the world and so avoid having to live by the normal rules of life.

The phrase “hands that shed innocent blood” describes the violent personality and as such is one who would be prone to murder if circumstances were conducive. A lack of control over anger is implied, as is a profound lack of regard for the value of human life. This is the personality that will beat or even kill another person out of anger over a presumed insult.

The “heart that devises wicked schemes” might be in modern terms a sociopathic personality. Such a person has no regard for anything but that which might work to his or her advantage. Rules and values are used when it is beneficial to do so, but they are disregarded when they are inconvenient. Such a one is always looking for an edge over everyone else.

“Feet that rush to do evil” bespeak a terrible enthusiasm for opportunities to do wrong. Such an individual regards the occasion to sin, when it appears, as a stroke of good luck and a terrific chance to get away with breaking a rule and perhaps get something for nothing. But the benefit that may come is secondary; like the vandal who destroys property that he cannot steal, the real object is the simple joy of wrongdoing.

The “false witness” seeks to subvert justice in the courts, while the “one who stirs up dissension,” like the “scoundrel” in the previous section, attempts to break apart the bonds that hold a society together. These two figures are fundamentally antisocial in that they break bonds of friendship, promote the decay of public justice, and ultimately bring a community into chaos.

Lust (vv. 20-35).

More good stuff of the dangers of sexual sin!  Those caught in lust lose…

…their way (vv. 20-24)  In ancient as in modern societies, both father and mother fear for the sexual future of their child. Their deepest desire is that the child have a fulfilling and joyful married life. Against them stands the lure of illicit sex.  Even better than a parent’s advice the Word of God in the mind and heart is like a guide who leads us on the safe path and protects us from attacks. It’s also like a friend who talks to us and counsels us along the way (Prov. 6:22). If we listen to God’s voice in His Word, we won’t fall for the enemy’s flattery (Prov. 6:24).

…their wealth (vv. 25-26) To be “brought to a piece of bread” means to be degraded to the lowest level of poverty  If the adultery results in scandal, a lawsuit, and a divorce, the price will not be cheap; in this day of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, the adulterer is taking chances with his health and his life.

…their enjoyment (vv. 27-31) Fire is a good thing if it’s confined and controlled. It can keep us warm, cook our food, drive our turbines, and manufacture our electricity. Sex is a good gift from God, but like fire, if it gets out of control, it becomes destructive. What begins as a “warm” experience soon becomes a burning experience, like holding a torch in your lap or walking on burning coals.

“But sex is a normal desire, given to us by God,” some people argue. “Therefore, we have every right to use it, even if we’re not married. It’s like eating: If you’re hungry, God gave you food to eat; if you’re lonely, God gave you sex to enjoy.”  Certainly hunger is a strong force in human life, and the only way to satisfy hunger is to eat, but if you steal the bread that you eat, you’re breaking the law. You’ll end up paying more for that bread than if you’d gone out and bought a loaf at the bakery. As you sit in jail or stand in court, the enjoyment you had from that bread will soon be forgotten.

 …their sense (v. 32)  Even today bank presidents, CEOs, pastors, professor and people who are considered intelligent or successful get drawn into an affair only to find that it was poor judgment.

…their peace (vv. 33-35) The angry husband will use every means possible to avenge himself.  The adulterer loses his reputation in the community.  In today’s society, if a person has enough money and “clout,” he or she might be able to survive an adulterous scandal, but life is still never quite the same. Whether in this life or the next, ours sins are exposed.   Its best to avoid sexual sin.

I’m glad we’re reading God’s word together.

Until tomorrow, Darrell

http://www.Upwards.Church

Sources:
Bible Exposition Commentary – Old Testament
New American Commentary
Life Application Bible Notes
Tyndale Concise Bible Commentary
Posted in Proverbs Reading Challenge | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment