June Devotions

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=115 style=" border-bottom: 1px solid #000000;" BGCOLOR="#FFFFCC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="525" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#333300" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCB2 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="80"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="age"><B><IMG SRC="03f0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="age"><B>Home </B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="age"><B>Page</B></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ministries"><B><IMG SRC="03a0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ministries"><B>Ministries</B></A></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="102"><div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="beliefs"><B><IMG SRC="03b0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="beliefs"><B>Statement of Beliefs</B></A><B>  </B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#C0DCC0 WIDTH="105"><div> <B><IMG SRC="03c0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> <B>Devotional</B></div> <div> <B>Calendar</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="94"><div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="contact"><B><IMG SRC="03c0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="contact"><B>Contact</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="contact"><B>Pastor Cain</B></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="41"><div> <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="map"><B><IMG SRC="03c0e0e0.png" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="map"><B>Map</B></A></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="699" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><B>Back to calendar</B></A><A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><B> </B></A><A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><IMG SRC="0400e0e0.jpg" border=0 width="14" height="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A><A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"> </A>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>For PREVIOUS PROVERBS : Scroll up, </B><I><B>OR</B></I><B>  Return to Devotional Calendar</B></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=365 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div>  <A NAME="june_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="422" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:17<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Kabel Bk BT" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>A friend loves at all times; </B></div> <div> <B>And a brother is born for adversity.   </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "All times" could be "every time".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A friend</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A brother</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions Respectively:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Loves at all times</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Is born for difficulty</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Here are two definitions, one for friend and one for brother.  We need to know what each of them means, for there are those who <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>call </I></FONT>themselves friends who are not, and those who <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>are </I></FONT>brothers who prove unworthy of the name.  Therefore, our proverb tells us what a true friend and a true brother are.</div> <div>     A friend truly defined is one who "loves at all times".  His love is not occasional.  His love does not alternate with hate.  Now his love may waver at times, and it may give way to anger at others, but its nature is such that WHOM is his friend is someone his soul has come to love.</div> <div>     Consider some of the alternatives to Friend.  Most often, a relationship that seems to be friendship is actually something else.  As often as not, it is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>Mutually Enjoyed Company</I></FONT>.  Two people find that they enjoy each other's company, so they become 'friends'.  Oftentimes they become true friends, inseparable by most any trial; but more often, Mutually Enjoyed Company discovers forks in their joint road which mere enjoyment will not reconcile.  They may always enjoy one another, but they have no basis for a permanent kind of soul bonding.</div> <div>     Another variation of friendship is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>Mutually Beneficial Company</I></FONT>.  Two people find that each has something to offer that the other values.  Again, such a relationship can turn into true, inseparable friendship; but as often as not, there is no actual soul bonding, no permanent love that binds them.</div> <div>     Another alternative to true friendship is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>Mutually Dependent Company</I></FONT>.  In this, two insecure people take refuge in one another.  Usually, one or the other of them will not have a strong enough soul to sustain true love; but sometimes, two partial people who know and accept their own and each others' weaknesses become fast friends in a most unusual and inspiring way.</div> <div>     The ingredient missing in any relationship short of friendship is love.  Love bonds two friends together.</div> <div>     Now consider this:  it really only takes <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>one </I></FONT>loving person to be a friend.  If one person truly loves another at all times, the recipient of that love need not return it for the lover to be his friend.</div> <div>     In that case, Jesus was the loneliest lover in the world's history when He was on earth.  He had a love toward His own which even the best of them appreciated little.  Even the women and John who forsook Him the least in His hour of trial still forsook Him.  They did not understand His mission, nor did they reciprocate the love of it.  They showed themselves, as all men do, unworthy of the truest love.  Fortunately for us and them, the love God has as our friend  does not depend upon our return of it.  He loved us unilaterally and unconditionally, when we actually rejected Him.  The great thing about God's love, though, is that whom He loves He <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>makes into</I></FONT> a friend:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Rom 5:5</FONT>  And hope does not make <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>us</I></FONT> ashamed, because the <U>love</U> of God has been <U>poured out</U> <U>in </U>our <U>hearts</U> through <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>the</I></FONT> Holy Spirit given to us. </div> <bR> <div>     Hence, Christians, by definition, should be the truest friends on earth.  We should be able to be friends to all men, because we have a supply of love from the Infinite.</div> <bR> <div>     The second part of the proverb says that "a brother is born for adversity".  This is intended to portray a step beyond friendship.  Brotherhood is an even deeper bond than friendship.  There is a love from growing up together that binds siblings together uncannily.</div> <div>     Ironically, on this count, the connections among men are revealed at their truest level.  Jesus defined it thus:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Mar 3:32 - 35</FONT>  And the crowd sat about Him, and they said to Him, Behold, Your mother and <U>Your brothers</U> are outside seeking for You.   And He answered them, saying, Who is My mother, or My brothers?   And He looked around on those who sat about Him, and said, Behold My mother and <U>My brothers</U>!  For whoever does the will of God, the same is My brother and My sister and My mother. </div> <bR> <div>     Jesus defined brotherhood on the spiritual level.  His earthly brothers did not have God as their Father at the time.  Those who were receiving His message, though, did.  Until after His death, Jesus' earthly brothers were not there for Him.  So the ultimate definition of Brother must be kept in mind for this proverb.</div> <div>     Of course, a Christian should be the truest brother just as he should be the truest friend.  A Christian honors his parents by faithfulness in family relations.  In terms of the bond between souls, though, many an earthly brother makes it impossible for a Christian sibling to be brotherly towards him.  The Christian must simply do his best.</div> <div>     The question for us today is this:  are we bound in soul with those connected to Christ, our brothers?  For John, this was a sufficient proof of the reality of our own relationship with God:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >1 John 3:14</FONT>  <U>We know</U> that we have passed from death to life, <U>because</U> we <U>love</U> the <U>brothers</U>. He who does not love <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>his</I></FONT> brother abides in death. </div> <bR> <div>     A brother is born for adversity.  Are you fulfilling your birthright for brothers in need?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_2"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="422" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:18<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Kabel Bk BT" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>A man lacking heart strikes hands; </B></div> <div> <B>he pledges in the presence of his friend. </B><B>  </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     We have already seen the 'striking of hands' in 11:15 and its first mention in 6:1 - 5.  It is the same word for 'clapping' the hands.  Perhaps they gave a high five or a low five to seal an agreement.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A man who strikes hands</div> <bR> <div> His Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Lacks heart / sense</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He pledges in the presence of a friend</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     A second verse in a row on a "friend".  Here the friend is present at the sealing of a financial agreement.  The striking of hands is the solemnization of an agreement to repay a loan or to make it good if someone else failed to repay- what we call being a "co-signer" on a loan.  That is probably what is going on in this verse, for two reasons.  Firstly, the words "in the presence of" are literally "to the face of"- a normal phrase for "before," but also a phrase for official transactions.  Secondly, we seem to be receiving an additional word on Friend.  We just learned that a friend loves at all times, implying self-sacrifice, but now we seem to be given a limitation:  Friendship does NOT go this far.  As such, this verse is only representative of <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>all </I></FONT>immoral and unwise activities in which friendship may tempt us to transgress.  So our verse seems to be saying, "Don't co-sign a loan for your friend; if neither you nor he have the money, save up and pay with cash.  You're NOT being a true friend by co-signing on a loan."</div> <div>     As we learned at 11:15, buying by installments is a form of gambling.  We are gambling that we will maintain our present ability to make payments.  Besides our earthly possessions which we put at risk, we are also putting something more valuable at risk- our reputations.  Our name is our most valuable commodity in the business world.  Certainly as a Christian, our name should be a primary consideration in financial dealings.  The community should not see God's people tempting Him by promising payment which they have no power to insure:  tomorrow may bring sickness, catastrophic loss, loss of employment, etc.  We are making a sorry statement about our relationship with God when we deal this way financially.</div> <div>     In summary, buying per 'financing' on depreciating items (everything but real estate, pretty much, and even then there's no guarantee) commits these five errors:</div> <div>  1)  It presumes on the future;</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" >   </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Jam 4:13 - 16</FONT>  Come now, those saying, Today or <U>tomorrow we will</U> go into such a city and spend a year there, and we will trade and will make a profit,  who do <U>not know of the morrow</U>.  For what <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I></FONT> your life? For it is a vapor, which appears for a little time, and then disappears.  Instead of you saying, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.  But now you boast in your <U>presumptions</U>.  All such boasting is <U>evil</U><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Georgia" >. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>  2)  It presumes on the lender's good nature;</div> <div>  3)  It presumes upon the continuation of present circumstances (and if one thing doesn't change, another will  ...always);</div> <bR> <div>  4)  It trades my present non-existent money for my future imaginary money;</div> <div>  5)  It puts God in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>my </I></FONT>service (God, You are now to dispose the future thusly...)</div> <bR> <div>     Truly it is the senseless man, the one "lacking heart", who presumptuously gambles his future away.  He further jeopardizes his friend by involving him.  Not very loving (see previous verse).</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ****************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_3"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="610" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:19<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Kabel Bk BT" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>The one who loves transgression is </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>also </B></I></FONT><B>the one who loves dispute. </B></div> <div> <B>The one who exalts his entrance way is looking for ruin. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Dispute" comes from a Hebrew root word meaning "to expel", so it carries a hint of territorial dispute, someone fighting others off or else kicking others out.</div> <div>     "Entrance way" is merely "opening", and could be a gate, a door, etc.  It is mostly translated "door."</div> <div>     Hebrew syntax allows the juxtaposition of the first half of the verse; so "He loves transgression who loves dispute", making the lover of dispute the person under consideration.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who loves transgression</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who exalts his door</div> <bR> <div> His Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Loves arguing</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Seeks out decimation</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     The nature of the sinner is once again under consideration.  Our warlike nature is tied to our disobedience.  We love to fight because we love to disobey.  Both loves basically fuel our lives because we are in a constant battle against God.</div> <div>     So our verse is a description of mankind in general; but it is a description more particularly of the unbeliever.  A Christian has had his fight with God put to rest.  He still has his old rebel's garb that he wears, sometimes inside, sometimes outside his Christian insignia.  An unbeliever only has one garment, and the Christian can see that it is proudly embroidered- "Against Christ".  Most unbelievers don't wish this querulous side to show, since ease and prosperity are what they are seeking on earth; but they are certainly full-scale rebels, only needing an occasion to strike out against God.</div> <div>     He who loves transgression is he who loves quarreling.  When you say this, you are really saying A = B;  therefore, you are also saying B = A.  But in grammar, one side serves as the basis for the other.  Logically, quarrelling, being the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>narrower </I></FONT>category of the two, is one <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>type </I></FONT>of the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>broader </I></FONT>category of transgression.  Hence, the lover of quarreling, the smaller category, would <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>automatically </I></FONT>be a lover of transgression, the larger category.  Then we would prefer the rendering, "He <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Perpetua" ><I>also </I></FONT>loves transgression who loves quarreling."</div> <div>     On the other hand, if Solomon is making an anthropological (having to do with man) theological point, as we have taken it, then he is saying that the broader category of transgression <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>always </I></FONT>leads to the narrower category of quarreling.  Of course, in saying this, Solomon may simply be looking at man's quarrelsome nature on <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>as broad</I></FONT> a scale as man's disobedient nature.  Hence, as surely as man is disobedient and transgresses God's Laws, he will also show himself to be contentious and looking for a fight.  </div> <div>     Which direction does the logic run?  Disputer because transgressor or transgressor because disputer?  Both meanings are true, but it is highly unlikely that Solomon constructed a double entendre here, intending to convey both truths.  The fact that he is portraying the second truth appears from the second half of the verse.</div> <div>     At first, there would seem to be little connection between the two halves of the proverb; but consider the second half.  "He who exalts his door seeks his own dissolution."  The key to understanding this saying is the word "door".  Why would someone be exalting his door, or the entranceway to his house or property?  Well, what is a door or gate?  It is what keeps you <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>out </I></FONT>unless I let you <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>in</I></FONT>.  Someone exalting his door, then, is emphasizing both his privacy and his importance.  He is making his own domain/ life an impregnable fortress.  The foolishness of this is captured well in another proverb:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 18:1</FONT>  He who <U>separates himself</U> seeks <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>his own</I></FONT> desire, he breaks out against all sound wisdom.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     The person who exalts his gate is saying that no one has any right or business getting any closer to him than peripheral matters allow.  If you need me, I'll meet you at the door, but don't imagine you can venture beyond unless I have a use for you.  Here is someone who does not trust others; more so, here is someone who is very keen on <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>himself</I></FONT>.  </div> <div>     Now how does this magnification of one's own gate relate to loving trespass and strife?  It's like this:  Man is territorial and belligerent; the first half of the verse addresses the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>offensive </I></FONT>side of man's sinfulness, the second half the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>defensive </I></FONT>side.  He loves to quarrel, to shoot missiles out from his 'property' onto others' grounds; but he is equally adamant about receiving any sorties into his territory- he simply won't have it.  Thus the warring analogy is completed.  The guarantee of the proverb, though, is that this warlike posture only does one thing- it invites harm!  He who lives by battle is eventually going to end in violence.  Story over.  He is certainly seeking his own downfall, the taking of his gate as someone else's trophy.  Finally, ultimately, it will be God who vanquishes the rebel.</div> <div>     By implication, what virtue is Solomon commending next to this vice?  <B>Meekness</B>.  The Christian must be un-warlike; he must be anti-warlike.  Will the Christian receive his share of cuts and scrapes from those who refuse to put down their arms, even when we carry a white flag before all men?  Yes, but in so doing, we are following a path blazed by one who claimed to be meek and lowly of heart.  That one also promised rest for the soul that followed Him.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ****************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_4"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="555" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:20<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Kabel Bk BT" > </FONT></div> <div> <B>He who has a crooked heart finds no good, </B></div> <div> <B>and he who </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>has</B></I><B> </B></FONT><B>a twisted tongue falls into evil. </B><B> </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Crooked" literally means "distorted".</div> <div>     "Twisted" literally means "turned" or "overturned/ overturning". </div> <div>     "Evil" is the regular word for moral evil, but is also the word for the 'unpleasant circumstance' kind of evil, which may be meant in this verse.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one with a twisted heart</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one with a false tongue</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Does not arrive at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>a  </I></FONT>good <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>end</I></FONT></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Falls into ill</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Here is a statement on the natural shape and substance of reality versus those who oppose that natural state.  It is telling us that reality is 'elastic' and so can be bent or stretched somewhat, at least in appearance; but its elasticity is also such that it eventually snaps back into shape, or proves never to have actually altered.  There are two powers presented in the verse with the ability to 'bend' reality.  One is the heart and the other is the tongue.  They both normally belong to the same person.  Whoever will bend reality in his heart is certainly willing to express that fabrication with his tongue.</div> <div>     The particular twisting of the <B>heart </B>is in its <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>perception of  </I></FONT>reality and its <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>imposition </I><I><U>on</U></I><I> </I></FONT>reality.  The distorted heart has redefined the world in terms of human orientation <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>in place of</I></FONT> Divine orientation; that is, the misshapen heart is man-centered rather than God-centered.  Either that, or its Divine orientation is wrenched out of God's mold into some human or demonic alternative (even misusing God's own words to do the reshaping).  The crooked heart is crooked in contrast to God's rule of straight.</div> <div>     The crooked heart of man, constituting the center of his being, governs his view of himself and the world.  Because of his own crookedness, he sees the world at a tilt.  Because of his own imbalance, he walks at a slant.  The world seems operative this way to him, because, in God's mercy, those who rebel against Him are given much latitude for the present.  God has not designed the present heavens and earth to be fully retributive.  He has made them retributive <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>enough </I></FONT>that crooked men are regularly and frequently called to their senses.  </div> <div>     So a crooked heart reshapes reality by its eye- how it sees, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>and </I></FONT>by its hands and feet- how it goes out and tackles the world.  Solomon is telling us that all such perversity is doomed to miss God's goodness.  Yes, God's mercy allows the crooked rebel to experience much good in this world, but the rebel will never count it as a gift from the true God.  He is unable to find moral goodness because he walks by a crooked rule; and he is unable to find earthly goodness because he cannot relate to the creation through the Creator.  Ultimately, the rebel can only <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>take</I></FONT>.  He cannot <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>receive, </I></FONT>because He doesn't know the Giver.  This negates the goodness of creation in his use of it.  It may <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>feel </I></FONT>good, but it is not the "Very good" that God pronounced when He had made it.</div> <div>     So the rebel twists the world first in his heart, and then on his <B>tongue</B>.  In the first half of the verse, the rebel <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>could not</I></FONT> arrive at true good because of his perception; in this half he <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>will </I></FONT>arrive at evil because of his autonomous (independent) decrees.  </div> <div>     Man's will was meant to flow <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>within </I></FONT>God's will.  When sin caused man's will to flow <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>contrary </I></FONT>to God's will, man was doomed to be a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >decreeing </FONT>creature and doomed at the same time to decree what <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" >could not come to pass</FONT>.  We do not realize how decreetive our mouths are.  "I will follow this path in life [I make my own destiny]."  "I will never stoop to that standard of living [it is beneath me]."  "I will not submit to such rules [I am better than those in authority]."  </div> <div>     Everything we decree is merely an invitation to be overridden by God.  God made man to be a kind of vice-regent over earth.  God doesn't mind man having authority- man is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>meant </I></FONT>to have it.  But it is not to compete with God's authority.  Since the Fall, that's all man's authority has done, individually and corporately, in whatever size or type of bodies we form:  nations, clubs, religions.  We are so inured to the situation that if the subject of our competition with God ever arises, we naturally think that He could easily make room for us.  Why would He worry about taking 'our' authority away from us?  We're not bothering Him.  Is He jealous?  Has He nothing better to do?</div> <div>     Man naturally decrees.  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>You </I></FONT>naturally decree.  Listen to yourself.  "I <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>will </I></FONT>do this."  "I will <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>not </I></FONT>do that."  And it feels perfectly natural to decree.  We feel it is religious veneer to add "if God wills."  It doesn't feel natural to consciously include God.  We are so much a part of the world's system.  It's hard to climb out of and live comfortably outside of it.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_5"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="506" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:21<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Kabel Bk BT" > </FONT></div> <div> <I><B>The parent</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B> who bears a dullard has grief for it; </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>and the father of a depraved </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>child </B></I></FONT><B>has no happiness. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     The root word of "depraved" means "wilted".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who gives birth to a spiritual dullard</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The father of a shiftless child</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Has grief for it</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Has no gladness</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     A child is more closely connected to a parent's identity and fortunes than anything else associated with the parent.  If the child turns out badly, the parent has no recourse.  All has failed.  The best a failed parent can do is disassociate himself from his child/children.  </div> <div>     A brazenly selfish parent will just go back to, "Well, I didn't really want children anyway."  In our increasingly selfish society, this kind of excuse gains growing acceptance; but in any sane culture, such an attitude singles out a worthless cad of a parent.</div> <div>     A few parents must live with the stigma of good-for-nothing children when they were not greatly at fault.  There comes a time when a bad child sees his independence ahead and longs for nothing more than complete freedom.  If he is incorrigible, no amount of good training will restrain him.</div> <div>     But most parents must shoulder most or all of the blame for rotten children.  God has made definite promises for those who parent His way.  These promises do not preclude a child's excursions into the wild side of life, but they do guarantee his return to right ways if they were ingrained in him to start with.  Unfortunately, this ingraining or indoctrination is as great an undertaking as any the parent will ever attempt.  It cannot be a secondary endeavor.  The moment the child drifts from top of the parent's priority list, the child is already as good as lost.</div> <div>     Fortunately for all of us, God's grace is much greater than our fumbling efforts.  He has to take up the slack in even the best of our endeavors.  But if we're <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>assuming </I></FONT>He will come along behind our haphazard, lazy, partial parenting and save the day, we deserve the shocking reality when He does <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>not</I></FONT>.  We are to give our best effort, like training for the Olympics; <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>then </I></FONT>we let Him take up the inevitable slack.  If we <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>start off</I></FONT> with a half-hearted effort, we are surely training our children, except in a very specifically bad direction.  God lets what we plant be what we reap.</div> <div>     It should go without saying that for a child to be a parent's main job, the parent's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>own </I></FONT>sanctification before God must be his first main job.  This is how Jesus did it for us:</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >John 17:19</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  And I sanctify Myself for their sakes, so that they also might be sanctified in truth. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     In a way, then, a parent takes a sanctification dose for two (a dad takes a dose for three, since he sanctifies himself for his wife as well).  Very doable if all is leaned upon the Lord.  The alternative is to have a belly full of grief for our negligence.  Life simply doesn't have a pleasurable taste when our children have become lawless.</div> <div>     Solomon wrote this as negative motivation.  It's hard work, total dedication to parent right.  But it's total sorrow to leave parenting undone.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> **********************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_6"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="508" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#66FF99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:22</div> <div> <B>A cheerful heart produces good-  </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>even as</B></I></FONT><B> medicine, </B></div> <div> <B>but a stricken spirit dries the bone.  </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Medicine" could mean healing.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A happy heart</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A smitten spirit</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Makes one well, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>even </I></FONT>medicinally</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Dries the bone</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     We have a carry-over from the previous proverb.  There, in 17:21, a fool's dad had no "happiness".  Here in 17:22, a "happy" heart in the Hebrew has its root word in "happiness" from 17:21.  This certainly reinforces the message of 17:21 in a frightful way.  It would seem that a fool's parent will not only lack joy, but will likely experience something akin to sickness- dried out bones.</div> <div>     As to the meaning of the verse before us, we once again have clear evidence of our spirit's affect on our bodies.  The invisible qualities of happiness and depression are linked to physical consequences.  Neither is this assessment changed in the New Testament:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >1 Tim 4:8</FONT>  For bodily exercise profits a little, but <U>godliness</U> is <U>profitable</U> <U>to all things</U>, having promise of the <U>present life</U>, and of that which is to come. </div> <bR> <div>     Here Paul tells us that godliness, an inner quality, has an affect on "all things," including the bodily state he had just alluded to.  (Please note two things:  he says that bodily exercise <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>is </I></FONT>profitable, and he does not say that godliness <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>replaces </I></FONT>bodily exercise.)  Most health trainers today make some place in their programs for inner attitude.  They recognize the connection between inner attitude and overall well-being.  You can't just tune up your body and be really well.</div> <div>     None of us will live forever, but a Christian should seek to live this life as healthfully as he can.  This is why Paul prayed to have his "thorn in the flesh" taken away (2 Cor. 12:8, 9).  But the fact that good health is not essential to our spiritual health is evident from God's answer to Paul's prayer: "My grace is sufficient for you."  Paul lived with a physical deficiency apparently the rest of his life, but to the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>betterment</I></FONT>, not the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>detriment </I></FONT>of his spiritual condition.  He said, "I will rather glory in my weaknesses."  Therefore, we know that his heart was happy; hence, he was otherwise in good shape.</div> <div>     A cheerful heart does a medicinal type good for us.  The fact that God desires this state for us is evident from His command:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Phil 4:4</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  Rejoice in </FONT><I>the</I> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >Lord always. Again I say, Rejoice! </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Why would Paul intrude on our emotions that way?  Shouldn't joy be spontaneous?  Paul is merely integrating the truth of the greatness of our deliverance with the fact that joy exists expressly to respond to it.  We have something to rejoice in to the uttermost, forever!</div> <div>     In this light, the withholding of joy is a sin.  We are commanded to rejoice.  In fact, it is sinful to even have a stinted joy.  Lack of joy is a confession that our salvation has not done us that much good.</div> <div>     </div> <div>     On the other hand, the presence of joy does not rule out the presence of sorrow:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Matt 5:4</FONT>  Blessed <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>are</I></FONT> they that mourn.</div> <div>     </div> <div>     But a Christian's spirit should not be subject to terminal deflation.  There is sin in the world.  There is sin in me.  These are both causes for sorrow, a sorrow that profitably leads to intercession.  However, </div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >John 16:33</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  ... In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Godly sorrow is always leading us back to joy, because godly sorrow is always taking us away from sin:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >2 Cor 7:10</FONT>  For the grief according to God <U>works repentance</U> to salvation, not to be regretted, but the grief of the world works out death. </div> <bR> <div>     If you have a stricken spirit, self, the world, and the devil want to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>keep </I></FONT>you broken so death can work in you.  Self doesn't necessarily like the emotional bruises, but self-pity is a tantalizing excuse for avoiding hard solutions.  Plus, self without God naturally dwells in the realm of death, so worldly grief that leaves you in your sin is a very natural choice.  </div> <div>     A Christian cannot remain in depression and be obedient to God.  This is not to say that any depression can simply be shrugged off for the mere willing of it, but it is saying that rejoicing in the Lord can be brought alongside our depression.  When we do that, a persistent depression usually appears in its actual pretentious light.</div> <bR> <div>     A Christian has a message for those with stricken spirits.  It is a passing along of the message of the joy-bringing Christ:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Isa 61:1 - 3</FONT>  The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I></FONT> on Me; because Jehovah has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to <U>bind up</U> the <U>broken-hearted</U>, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;  to preach the acceptable year of Jehovah and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;  to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, to give to them beauty for ashes, <U>the oil of joy</U> <U>for mourning</U>, the mantle of <U>praise</U> <U>for</U> the spirit of <U>heaviness</U>; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Jehovah, that He might be glorified. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_7_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="508" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:23</div> <div> <B>The immoral </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>man </B></I></FONT><B>receives a 'donation' from the pocket </B></div> <div> <B>to change the</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B> </B></I></FONT><B>courses of justice.  </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Donation" is from a word for "gift".  In this context, it clearly means a bribe.</div> <div>     "Courses" is from a word for "path" indicating a well-traveled road.</div> <div>     "Pocket" is from a Hebrew word meaning "enclosure".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The immoral man</div> <bR> <div> Description:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Accepts an inducement from pocket <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>to pocket</I></FONT> </div> <bR> <div> Consequence:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Bends the ways of justice</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Solomon paints us a picture of someone secretively passing money.  We can envision his pose in our mental snapshot- not looking at the recipient, purposely gazing elsewhere to divert attention from the activity of his hands in their transfer of monies from pocket to pocket.  Of course, there are a thousand ways to pass money secretly, but the good old 'me to you personally' has never been abandoned.  The personal transfer of money makes the completion of a deal something of a personal matter; hence, I will take it personally if you don't fulfill the terms of our agreement.</div> <div>     The wicked man in our verse is the one who receives the money.  It goes without saying that the one giving the money is also immoral.</div> <div>     So here's the big lesson of our proverb.  In matters of justice, the intervention of money or assets is pretty much an automatic perversion of justice.  Someone making influential decisions must be kept free of 'gifts'.  Even gifts that seem to be freely given can come back later as obliging tokens.</div> <div>     On a governmental scale, this is a most important principle.  If guidelines 'with teeth' are not in place, government officials will always tend to collect a little extra 'tax' for their services.  A government- national, state, or local- must therefore determine what is a fair wage for its workers and adjust its budget accordingly.  Then it must severely punish those who take extra from those seeking 'extra' government services.</div> <bR> <div>     On a smaller scale, there are all sorts of ways that those in authority can receive bribes.  Parents show favoritism to certain children; teachers overlook rules or else harshly apply them to certain students; coaches favor certain players for other than team or athletic considerations.  All these and other types of personal injustice we contend with daily.  None of us are above being bribed in one way or another.  Parents exchange their favoritism for more love from a child; teachers play favorites based on their personal or classroom preferences, etc., etc.  It is very easy to get caught up in bribery, whether on the giving or receiving end.</div> <div>     Furthermore, ANYONE can take this kind of bribe.  Where an exchange is made for a favor, a bribe is possible.  You are my friend as long as you can drive me around, etc., etc., etc.  Important note:  rarely do we think we are bribing or taking a bribe.  We always consider it justice.</div> <bR> <div>     A Christian must first recognize the existence of bribery and its virtual universality.  Secondly, he must pledge himself to fight this and all forms of injustice.  Thirdly, he must realize that only when he has acknowledged and removed the log of bias from his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>own </I></FONT>eye ("I am as easily bribed as anyone.  Here is where I am swayed.") can he help to humbly remove the sliver of prejudice from <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>another's</I></FONT>.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***************************************************************</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_8"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="508" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:24</div> <div> <B>Wisdom is before the face of the discerning, </B></div> <div> <B>But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "On" the ends of the earth is literally "in" the ends of the earth.  </div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The discerning</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The dullard</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Wisdom is near his face / presence</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">His eyes are on the ends of the earth</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     One general lesson to draw from this proverb is this:  a Christian deals in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>reality</I></FONT>, while the non-Christian deals in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>fantasy</I></FONT>.  In our day, this is a startling insight, because we all- Church and World alike- have agreed that the Christian is the one who lives by fantasy, while the agnostic lives in the cold light of reality.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >    But character lessons stand out foremost when Solomon contrasts the wise and the fool.  That way, we can all see ourselves in increments of more or less wise and/or foolish.  In this proverb, the overall lesson is that we are to avoid </FONT><I>theory </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >when </FONT><I>application </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >is escaping us.  That is, an </FONT><I>idea </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >that guides us can actually keep us from carrying out an </FONT><I>action.</I> </div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >    </FONT>A person who avoids certain tasks because they are 'small potatoes' which would distract him from his big designs is rightly called a lazy dreamer.  True, there are some dreamers who can actually conceptualize things at a greater distance than the rest of us, but that should not make them allergic to getting their hands dirty with the matters that are right in front of them.  The right kind of dreamer may focus on something a little out of reach, but he will work like anything to make it a reality.  The lazy dreamer, on the other hand, is a pitiful, deceived fellow who only holds visions before him to convince himself and others that he is a big deal, at least big enough to be on a lesser work regimen.</div> <div>     <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >The discerning man has wisdom right before his face.  When he deals with the book of Proverbs, for instance, he is not making wisdom a theory to be discussed; he sees it as a goal meant to be attained.  When he deals with any book of the Bible, he is looking for answers and questions; that is, he knows that God has said all He is going to say and in so doing has addressed all issues in life.  Bible study is meant to translate into a direct "Go and do" from God.  When he reads the answers in Scriptures, he finally knows what questions he should have been asking.  </FONT></div> <div>     The Church is full of two kinds of Lazies; the first kind avoids study in the first place, and the second kind studies but avoids arriving at "Go and do's".  They just study to say, "Wow, that's really neat.  I didn't know that," or even "We should be doing that."</div> <div>     To put it in ultra-practical terms, the discerning man has Jesus before his face.  Jesus is the wisdom of God to us.  Now ask yourself, would Jesus appear to us from the pages of Scripture to strike a dramatic pose for our admiration?  To smile approvingly at the great job we're doing?  To discuss heavenly realities in language beyond our grasp (but that's alright; we weren't meant to understand it anyway)?  No, He appears to kick our lazy part:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Rev 3:19</FONT>  I, as many "as I love, I rebuke and I chasten." Be zealous, then, and <U>repent</U>. <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     That's Jesus in person (quoting from Proverbs 3:12, by the way), doing what He does with His own:  rebuking and chastening.</div> <div>     So how can we know we've heard from Him?  When we <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>change tracks</B></FONT>.  That's what <U>repent</U>ance is:  getting off our present course onto another one.  We have to do this every day.  We're always straying to some extent:</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Psa 119:176</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant; for I do not forget Your Commandments. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     When we take time to actually come into God's presence, He often makes the necessary adjustments in our course without our direct notice.  Coming into His presence involves a bit of a shift in itself.  That is why so few Christians pray- the shift is uncomfortable.</div> <div>     Our verse is also an excellent commentary on meditation.  We all tend to drift in our thoughts.  It's not just <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>anything </I></FONT>that is before the face of the intelligent, it's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>wisdom</I></FONT>.  We have to purposely put wisdom before us, not just let our minds drift.  Drifting minds may as well be on the ends of the earth.</div> <bR> <div>     The fool is already living apart from God, so he is in a fantasy world of denial.  The extreme fool exemplifies this aspect of folly by living on the horizon.  His whole life is about what is out of reach.  He has big plans but no real way to get there.  He has tried and failed but believes that the big payoff is out there; it simply eluded him this time.  Soon, it will all come together.  Then everyone will see.  Then he will receive his due recognition.  The pride in this perspective is obvious.  </div> <div>     "Follow your dream" is perhaps the chief motto embraced by our society.  Most people find out that they had little reason to expect that they actually COULD become an NBA player or a professional ballerina.  They settle for following their paychecks.  But many live the rest of their lives inwardly knowing that they <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>should </I></FONT>have been recognized for their talent, that they <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>are </I></FONT>as good as those stars on the TV.  They are ever faithful to the harlot lover, "Follow your dream."*  Their eyes are ever on the ends of the earth. </div> <bR> <div>     Conclusion:  make religion a super practical matter.  God is talking.  Open the Book and be listening.  Then return your speech repentantly, carrying God's directions WITH you from there.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >*  </FONT>There is an extra factor to consider.  Part of the reason we have arrived at "Follow your dream" is that government sponsored schools had a definite, written agenda they followed (Thanks, Horace Mann, John Dewey, etc.) to make their products (students) submissive servants of the state.  They didn't dream their program would be so effective, that the byproducts of evolution (students) would become zombies without purpose except filling their niche in society.  So the "Have a dream" motto is a kind of counterbalance to that socialistic push.  It may sound like mere dreamy idleness to a Christian, but for most non-Christians, it only returns to them a modicum of the individuality robbed by the statist philosophy.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *********************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_9"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="430" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCC99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:25</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>An ignorant son </B></FONT><I><B>is</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>a provocation to his father, </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>and grief to her who bore him. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Ignorant" is the word for fool we usually translate "dullard", coming from a root word for "fat".  </div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">An ignorant son</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Is a vexation to his father</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Is grief to her who bore him</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Having just considered the unrealistic fool with his eyes on the ends of the earth, we now return to the theme of 17:21, the heartbreaking child.  The distressing child is apparently one example of the impractical fool in 17:24.  The connectedness of this section in Proverbs becomes obvious when we see the conjunction beginning the next proverb:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 17:26</FONT>  <U>Also</U> to punish the righteous is not good</div> <bR> <div>     So a parent is evidently especially responsible to see that lazy dreamers are not unleashed on society.  On the other hand, those who dream idly <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>despite </I></FONT>their parents' proper admonition and example are listed as head-boilers and heartbreakers.  They exasperate their fathers and wrench their mothers' hearts.</div> <div>     One lesson of the proverb is that children ought not to treat their parents this way.  So when you find a lazy dreamer out in the world, you will probably find miserable parents at the home he grew up in.  Therefore, you will also be less sympathetic when the lazy dreamer gets what he deserves.  He may seem like a harmless flake, but think what he put his parents through.  Their pleas never had a deep impact on him, so neither should the crashing of his fantasy world have too deep an impact on you. </div> <div>     Back to the other hand, remember that it is nigh unto impossible for a parent to escape key responsibility for his child's deviance.  The most family-oriented book in the Bible is Genesis, and it is fairly easy to trace the problems in children there back to their parents.  This begins with the first parents.  </div> <div>     Eve named her firstborn because he was "Gotten" (connected to the Hebrew meaning of "Cain"), saying she had gotten a man from Jehovah; then she named her second born "Useless" (the Hebrew meaning of "Abel").  She had already imprinted her character assessments on the children before they had done anything.  Adam is again significantly <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>silent </I></FONT>as he was at the Tree of the Determination of Good and Evil.  And thus the first family life began as dysfunctional.  </div> <div>     Why did Cain turn out to be the sort or fellow who would simply assume his offerings to God should be acceptable?  So much so that he was not even open to correction from God Himself?  The only hint in the text, which seems a strong and decisive hint, is that Eve drummed into him that he was something special and was destined for special things (crushing the serpent's head it would seem; so Cain would be the first type of Antichrist).</div> <div>     So we see that Cain <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>did </I></FONT>have his eyes lifted to the ends of the earth- his destiny.  He very well may have thought that he was born to redeem the world back from its bondage to Death (Eve was right that this <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>had </I></FONT>been promised).</div> <div>     Now go back one more proverb to 17:23.  That one was about bribery.  We talked about parental bribery at that point.  Parents can bribe children with extra love and attention; children can bribe parents with the same.  Other 'currencies' of bribery are available within families as well.  Cain was bribed and a briber.  He grew up in this system and so was astonished to find that God operated outside of it.</div> <div>     Now go back just one more proverb to 17:22.  This is the one right after the previous heartbreaking child proverb.  There we already tied in the "happy," medicinal heart to what the miscreant's parent could not have.  Eve had destined herself and Adam for sorrow the moment she embarked on a course of favoritism.  There probably was never a more well-intentioned, theologically-based favoritism in history.  But it was partiality of the sort that God abominates.  So she bereaved herself of two children from one huge mistake.</div> <div>     Cain had his chance to make things right.  He had a God-given chance to mend the garment Eve had begun sewing badly.  He actually could have been a redeemer of sorts.  But he proved that the favoritism was quite to his own liking.  He had plenty of chances over the years to see that he was no better than Abel.  He had plenty of evidences that Abel, in fact, was better than he (1 Jn. 3:12).  But this made it all the easier for Cain's pride to run with the ball thrown to him.  "You may be better, but I'm special.  It'll always be that way; get used to it."  </div> <div>     So with all pampered children.  They spoil themselves as much as they are spoiled.  And so they take 100% of the responsibility for being the monster that breaks their parents' hearts.  Their parents take 100% of the blame for awakening and feeding the monster.  Cain was just one variety of spiritual dullard.  Whether because of pampering or in spite of proper upbringing, dullards always claw their parents' very cores.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_10"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="449" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CC66FF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:26</div> <div> <B>Also, to impose a penalty on the just is not good;</B></div> <div> <B>to strike a noble is against uprightness. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Against" is from a Hebrew preposition for "above, over, upon, or against".  Only a few translations and commentators take it as "against" here, but that seems the most natural choice grammatically.  The alternate sense, taken by most, is "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#777777" FACE="Palatino Linotype" ><I>nor </I></FONT>to strike a noble for his uprightness."</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Imposing a penalty on the righteous</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Striking a prince</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Not good</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Against rectitude</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     The "also" beginning this verse could be translated "even".  As such it would probably be connected to "the just"- so, "Punishment even to the just is not good."  It seems better to take it as "also", though, even though the connection to the previous verse is a tad perplexing.  The connection seems to be a reminder not to punish men for their past sins.  If so, this is a very important reminder.  </div> <div>     It is very easy, when a person is under suspicion or guilty of one crime, to connect it to vices he is known to have.  A jury might well be tempted to convict a man for a crime if they were apprised of his terrible treatment of his parents as well.  </div> <div>     Solomon, as a judge, could no doubt think of particular cases where grown men had left heartbroken parents behind.  Everyone in the community wished that such scoundrels could get their 'come-uppence'.  So when a chance arrived to arraign such a man on some charge, all his past sins were likely to be part of the case against him, though not officially so.  Solomon, then,  seems to be saying, "Make sure the unofficial case does not get mixed up with the official one.  If the accusation against him is not dishonoring his parents, do not convict him of that, even partly."</div> <div>     So much for the connection between 17:25 and 17:26.  Now on to the basic meaning of the verse itself.</div> <div>     The next difficulty of the verse is why it would necessarily be against uprightness to strike a prince.  What if he deserved it?</div> <div>     There are two ways to answer that question which would take us to Solomon's point.</div> <div>     Firstly, Solomon might be saying that as long as a prince or nobleman was <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>rightly so called</I></FONT> he should not be struck.  If he <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>ceased </I></FONT>deserving the title of nobility, a judge could consign him to a beating with propriety.  As Solomon has just recently said:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 17:7</FONT>  An excellent lip <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I> </FONT><U>not fitting</U> for a fool; much less are lying lips fitting for a prince. </div> <bR> <div>     So if a prince did lie, he might <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>rightly </I></FONT>call a scourging on himself since he had done <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>wrongly </I></FONT>per princely behavior.</div> <div>     The other explanation is that a beating is generally not the way to deal with princely misbehavior.  Nobility may need to be punished, but the indignity of beating is not the way:</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Job 34:18</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  Who says to a king, O worthless one; and to nobles, O evil one? </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Elihu's argument in the above verse is that common men do not sit in judgment of dignitaries (implying the question of why Job would commit the greater faux pas of accusing God).  This concept of authority is commonly ignored in America.  We simply have no concept of 'our betters'.  We are taught that we are all equals.  Thankfully, we are not altogether consistent with this silliness or we would have no real respect for the President, for instance.  Most of us would instinctively act more respectfully if we were in his presence; and this instinct, against our "we're all equal" training, would be right.</div> <div>     To take this a step further, since we have been so 'unBilicized' on this concept, get this: we are actually to respect demons.   What?  Demons?!  Yup, you heard right.  You and I are lower in rank than demons (fallen angels), so insulting them is given as a characteristic of false teachers:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Jude 1:8, 9</FONT>  Yet in like manner these [false teachers] also in their dreaming defile the flesh, <U>despise authority</U>, and <U>slander celestial beings</U>.  </div> <div> But <U>Michael</U>, the archangel, when <U>contending with the devil</U> and arguing about the body of Moses, <U>dared not</U> bring against him an <U>abusive condemnation</U>, but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!" </div> <bR> <div>     Even Michael, whose original angelic ranking couldn't have been too far below Lucifer's, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>dared not</I></FONT> to insult him!  He respected Satan's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>position </I></FONT>of authority.  Satan was wrong and deserved a rebuking, but Michael did not have the weight to pass one along, so he brought the higher ranking of <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>God </I></FONT>into it and left <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>himself </I></FONT>out.  What a foreign concept to us!  We've learned to think so highly of ourselves spiritually.*</div> <bR> <div>     Let's sum up.  Our proverb is laying out two judicial boundaries that should not be crossed.  One is moral and one is social.  Morally, penalizing the righteous is a big mistake.  Yet think about it- what is more common?  Parents, teachers, coaches, employers, leaders- we all make bad calls about those in our charge.  Solomon categorizes our mistakes as the absence of right:  "Not Good".</div> <div>     Socially, we should not 'reach up' and slap a dignitary.  His reproof must be in the proper hands.  If a magistrate or jury of his peers does not correct him, they themselves will ultimately be corrected.  </div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >* </FONT>Ultimately, this is a confusion of position with experience.  <I>Positionally</I>, I am in Christ, but <I>experientially</I>, I am below the angels.  The two things cannot be confused.  Otherwise, a Christian child who is "in Christ" would not have to obey his parents, since Christ is over his parents.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ********************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_11"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="449" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:27</div> <div> <B>He who restrains his words knows knowledge, </B></div> <div> <B>and </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>one</B></I></FONT><B> cool of spirit </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is</B></I></FONT><B> a man of discernment. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Cool" is from a Hebrew word whose configuration could also be taken as another word, "valuable".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who restrains his words</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who has a cool spirit</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Knows knowledge</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A man of discernment</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     To know more is to say less.</div> <div>     Of course, it is crucial to know what the "less" is less <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>than</I></FONT>.  Is "restraining" ones words utterly holding them back?  Or is it letting them out only by permission, and then judiciously?  The latter is correct.  Therefore, to know more is to say less <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>than ignorance</I></FONT> would have allowed.</div> <div>     One plain teaching of this proverb is that words can get in the way of knowledge.  This, of course, is not the fault of words themselves, but of those using them (actually, <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>mis</I></FONT>using them).  The person who really knows something is able to say it <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>precisely</I></FONT>.  That is a characteristic of knowledge.  </div> <div>     To say, "I understand that, but I just can't express it" is to say that I have an <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>intuitive </I></FONT>grasp of the concept, but how to formulate it into a statement escapes me.  In that case, the best that person can hope for is someone <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>else </I></FONT>to formulate the necessary statement so he can agree with it.  Otherwise, his claim to know is empty.  </div> <div>     <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>Putting proper words to thoughts is the essence of knowledge</B></FONT>.  That's what God has done in writing Scriptures.  That's what he has told us to do in explaining them.  Paul said,</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Col 4:4</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Because clarity tends to work <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>for </I></FONT>God and the gospel, the Devil likes to muddle things.  He likes to downplay meaning and the usefulness of words.  The basic inadequacy of words is a position that has swept through and conquered the academic world in the last century; and the Church, after her normal pattern, has scampered along behind shouting, "Amen!"  So we have to guard against the misinterpretation of our proverb.  </div> <div>     To restrain words is not to despise them; it is, in fact, the greatest compliment to words to restrain them.  They are so valuable, they can only be let out deliberately.</div> <div>     Another reason that someone who really knows restrains words is that what a few well-chosen words can accomplish, an additional 50 words can <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>erase!</I></FONT>  Words are powerful tools.  When we have said enough, let the words work by themselves.  An effusion of words only washes out a good effect.</div> <div>     One supposition might be that if a handful of words does a lot, an armful will do wonders!  Again, this cheapens words, not to mention cheapening humanity.  The conscience is an amazing creation of God.  As long as we do not insist on immediate compliance, the right number of rightly-chosen words tends to enter the soul and effect necessary change.</div> <div>     The phrase "knows knowledge" is very interesting.  Apparently, there is a possession and use of knowledge that is not so knowledgeable.  Two men can have the same body of knowledge in their heads, something like having it in storehouses.  One of them uses efficient machinery and accesses the proper knowledge for the proper situation.  The other is not so adept.  The former one "knows" the knowledge at his disposal.  The other one mainly just has a useless storehouse.</div> <div>     The second half of our proverb further describes the truly knowledgeable person.  It says that he is a man of a "cool spirit."  Blues and greens are his mental theme colors, not reds and oranges.  Lower temperatures characterize him.  To continue the previous analogy, his storehouse is air-conditioned.  </div> <div>     This implies another great separation between the truly knowledgeable and their pretenders.  Many folks with a storehouse full of knowledge have not installed air-conditioning.  More accurately, perhaps, they have installed but not maintained it.  It short-circuits at the most inopportune times.  Their pertinent insights are suddenly suspect when they cannot even apply a simple saying like "Look before you leap."</div> <bR> <div>     A couple of observations are in order.</div> <div>     Someone with a relatively small storehouse of knowledge but with good proficiency in using it is better off than someone with a storehouse ten times the size but poor use of it.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >    Also, someone who will not let people or situations get under his skin is </FONT><I>automatically </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >called a man of discernment!  This implies that the primary discernment in the world is </FONT><I>self</I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >-discernment.  Until someone knows his own weaknesses, he knows nothing.  The person who realizes where he tends to lose his temper is the person getting acquainted with his failings.  He has essentially beaten anger to the punch by </FONT><I>already accusing </I><I><B>himself</B></I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" ><B> </B><I>of </I></FONT><I>anything bad anyone </I><I><B>else </B></I><I>could say about him</I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >!</FONT></div> <div>     Are you that person?  </div> <div>     How about your access to your storehouse of knowledge?  Still bumbling around with, "Well, I know that, but I can't explain it"?  If so, you must find someone with the formulations that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>do </I></FONT>explain it.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_12"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="547" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 17:28</div> <div> <B>Even a fool, when he </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is</B></I></FONT><B> silent, is considered wise, </B></div> <div> <B>and he who shuts his lips </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is thought to be</B></I></FONT><B> a discerning one.</B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Considered" is from a Hebrew word whose primary meaning is "to weave".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The fool  who is silent</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who closes his lips</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Is counted as wise</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Is counted as discerning</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     In getting its point across, this proverb is at once ironic and sad.  It is ironic that a fool can ever seem wise, considering the mountainous avalanche of evidences we have been given to identify him; but it is sad that mistaken identity is as close as a fool will get to wisdom.  It is sad further that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>concealing </I></FONT>his thoughts is the means by which a fool may be counted wise.  Of course, our proverb is telling us that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>anyone</I></FONT>, not just a fool, is likely to be counted wise if he will just remain quiet.</div> <div>     The point of the proverb, indeed, is that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>utter </I></FONT>restrain of words is next best to the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>judicious </I></FONT>restraint of words exhorted in the previous proverb.  It is telling us just how far <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><B>restraint of words</B></FONT> can take you.  The answer is:  pretty far, but not nearly all the way.  So it is a double comment.  For the wise man it is a commendation of silence (again, not absolute silence); for the fool or the simple person, it is partly a rebuke of his self-expression and partly advice to emulate wisdom as closely as he can.</div> <div>     There are several sayings in various countries which express something of the thought of our proverb.  One of them is, "You can be quiet and people may wonder if you're a fool, or you can open your mouth and remove all doubt."  This puts the teaching in a humorous light, but it advises the same course of action as our proverb.  Also, it reverses the perspective of the onlooker, making him conjecture that you are a fool rather than that you are wise.</div> <div>     There is another important insight in our proverb.  That is that there is actually a kind of wisdom possessed in closing one's mouth.  That wisdom may consist mainly in a force of will, but it is definitely a kind of wisdom in that it <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>keeps evil from being released</I></FONT>.  We have already learned that a fool loves to express himself.  Therefore, a fool who overcomes even this one aspect of his nature for any amount of time is worthy of commendation.</div> <div>     Note that our proverb does not say that a fool <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>can </I></FONT>overcome this trait altogether.  Our proverb pictures the fool in a moment of silence.  Perhaps he is just being sullen.  This, of course, is also an expression of himself, but until we pick up on it, it is less obvious than speech.  The correct assumption would rather be that a silent fool will not be silent long.  Our proverb is only saying that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>as long as</I></FONT> he is silent, he is counted as wise.</div> <bR> <div>     So once again we are faced with the question of our restraint.</div> <div>     Is there a definite 'hand' in our brain that reaches down, controlling the 'spigot' of our mouth?  Remember, it is our natural mode to simply say what comes to mind.  It is only by a conscious frame of mind and deliberate choice that we keep a hand on the spigot.</div> <div>     One of the lessons of Scripture is that this self-control is quite beyond us.  Our own experience should teach us that abundantly.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit's presence is an absolute necessity in our lives, especially as He is the one whose fruit includes "self-control".</div> <div>     Have you sought His help for today- for help in connecting that mental hand to the mouth spigot?  </div> <div>     Have you committed the request to your daily list?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_13"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="506" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:1</div> <div> <B>He who separates himself seeks </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>his own</B></I></FONT><B> desire, </B></div> <div> <B>he defies all sound wisdom. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "His own" is supplied.  It could be that he "seeks for pleasure".</div> <div>     "Defies" could be "is obstinate against" or "rages against".</div> <div>     "Sound wisdom" could be "success", "plan", or "support".</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who separates himself</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Seeks for <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>his own</I></FONT> desire</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">He withstands all practicality</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     This is a verse about a separatist.  His brand of isolationism may make him more of an anti-social person or a schismatic.  But "he who separates himself" is someone who 'burns his bridges' with neighboring sovereignties (other people).</div> <div>     What Solomon is examining here is the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>extreme end </I></FONT>of <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>human independence</I></FONT>.  When man declared his independence from God, he set in motion his own <B>ultimate isolation</B>:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Matt 8:12</FONT>  but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the <U>outer darkness</U>. There shall be weeping and gnashing of the teeth. </div> <bR> <div>     Jesus is here talking about the Jews and the irony and tragedy of the chosen people ending up in Hell.  It is a similar tragedy that the noble creature man himself, set over all the rest of creation, could suffer such a fate.  The fate is basically <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>utter </I></FONT>isolation, in keeping with man's choice to be his own god.</div> <div>     Therefore we see that it is one of the mercies of God that He keeps men from retreating into their logical isolation.  Any of us, without the restraining influences of the Holy Spirit in common grace, would tend to become his own little fortress against all that dwells outside it.  We do already manifest that tendency, but God allows good sense to prevail in most cases, and we realize that we must operate <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>contrary </I></FONT>to our self-seeking nature.  We need other people.  We need bridges from our little kingdom to theirs.</div> <div>     Our proverb is talking about that uncharacteristic person who <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>cannot </I></FONT>resolve this equation in his mind.  Either his egotism or his fear or both cause him to retreat far enough into his own domain that he eventually sees no reason to come back out, at least not on negotiating terms.</div> <div>     Strangely, the isolationist is a sort of <B>prophet </B>to society.  He is telling everyone by his behavior that we will <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>all </I></FONT>end up like him eventually.  We are destined for utter loneliness, so why pretend?  </div> <div>     But Solomon says what he does about the isolationist for the isolationist's sake.  He is telling him, "Why would you operate as man apart from God?  Why don't you take a step back towards God and build bridges with His other creatures, your neighbors, again?"</div> <div>     Furthermore, Solomon is pointing to isolationism as one of the proofs of universal sin.  The isolationist is the extreme, but the fact that such a tendency is in man shows that there is something organically wrong with human make-up.</div> <div>     The basic description of the isolationist is that "he seeks for desire".  Perhaps all this is saying is that his basic 'modus operandi' is self-gratification.  It is so much easier to operate in life if you only have your own needs and desires to consider.  From this angle, all the isolationist is is a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>selfish individual</I></FONT>.  He may interact with others, but he has <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>no real bonds</I></FONT> with them.  He only uses them for his own ends.  (It is a dangerous sign, by the way, when such an individual <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>acts </I></FONT>friendly.)</div> <div>     The second description of the isolationist is that he "resists all <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>that is</I></FONT> sensible".  God created man to be a social creature; that is, he is supposed to live among other men.  It is a form of insanity to resist this and isolate oneself.  Solomon says that he resists <B>all </B>good sense, meaning that there is no real argument on the side of the isolationist.  Every piece of evidence points against him.  This means that ultimately he is fighting not only God and others, but himself.</div> <bR> <div>     Question:  How <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>connected </I></FONT>are you to humanity?  You probably see good reasons not to isolate yourself, but do you actually live under a sense of obligation to mankind?</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Luke 10:29</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  But desiring to justify himself, he said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor? </FONT></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> **************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_14"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="455" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:2</div> <div> <B>A fool has no inclination towards understanding, </B></div> <div> <B>but only that his heart may lay itself bare. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Lay itself bare" is from a word meaning "to denude."</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The fool</div> <bR> <div> His Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Has no pleasure in discernment</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Only has satisfaction in the revealing of his heart</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     The message of this proverb is two-fold.</div> <div>     Firstly, a fool may collect much information and acquire much skill in transferring it, but neither comes from a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>love of</I></FONT> discernment itself; they come from a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>love of</I></FONT> displaying what he knows (or the reputation of knowing it).</div> <div>     Secondly, a fool may seem to be a "philosopher" (literally, "lover of wisdom"), but if he casts aside the question of ultimate answers- the place of God in our philosophy (or worse, if he concludes that there is no God or that He is not the God of Scriptures) then his love of wisdom is very limited.  It cannot be called a love of wisdom by Solomon's definition.</div> <div>     As we have seen in previous proverbs, this is partly a matter of <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>intake </I></FONT>versus <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>output</I></FONT>.  </div> <div>     True wisdom requires that a person have a full, genuine ability to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>take in</I></FONT> truth.  If he is too <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>loose </I></FONT>in his intake, indiscriminate, he will dilute any truth he receives with falsehood.  If he is too <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>limited</I></FONT>, insisting, for instance, that he have physical proof before he believes something, he will ultimately have to deny his own nature as a human being, since we are more than a mixture of chemicals.  This denial of the intangible is certainly a denial of wisdom.  </div> <div>     The fool is more about <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>output </I></FONT>than intake.  If he does not want to outright brag about his knowledge, he is at least more concerned about his own satisfaction with his answers than he is whether the answers are truly right.  </div> <div>     All fools ultimately deflect some vital question of human existence.  They sense that if knowledge revolves around ultimate issues- the place of God in our lives, etc.- then they <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>personally </I></FONT>are not going to get the recognition they desire.  The knowledge <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>itself </I></FONT>will take precedence.  So they buy into some form of, "Well, we can't really answer those questions anyway."  Of course, in so saying, they <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>are </I></FONT>giving a definite answer on those questions!</div> <div>     On a personal level, we may easily identify a fool in two ways:  One is that he hates true education; the other is that he loves his own opinion.</div> <div>     This tells us something.  One or the other- education or being opinionated- is going to dominate in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>any </I></FONT>person's life.  For Solomon, the only educated people are those who can squarely base their beliefs on firm truths, able to refute objections.  Anyone else is just some dude with an opinion.</div> <div>     The educated person is also the one who knows what he <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>doesn't</I></FONT> know.  As a previous proverb spoke of the man who "knew knowledge" (17:27), we must also recognize where we have <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>not </I></FONT>pieced the puzzle together.  Then we must know whether that piece was <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>meant </I></FONT>to be integrated, or whether it is simply out of man's reach presently:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Deut 29:29</FONT>  The <U>secret things</U> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>belong </I> </FONT>to Jehovah our God, but the <U>revealed things</U> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>belong</I>  </FONT>to us and to our sons forever, so that we may do all the words of this Law. </div> <div>     </div> <div>     "Secret things" can't be known now.  Some "revealed things" won't fit together for us immediately either.  Some of them have baffled good theologians for centuries.  One thing we know by Deuteronomy 29:29:  if it is in Scriptures, it is meant to be known.  But a wise man knows when to say that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>he </I></FONT>doesn't know it yet.</div> <div>     Here's a bothersome thing.  Many a Biblical commentator, rather than saying that <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>he </I></FONT>doesn't know it, says it can't <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>be </I></FONT>known.  In so saying, he either puts himself above all wise men (if <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>I</I></FONT> can't figure it out, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>nobody </I></FONT>can), or he puts himself above God (<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>I'm</I></FONT> smart enough to figure it out if <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>God </I></FONT>were just smart enough to put it across clearly).  Of course, these foolish commentators are only taking the position of the average Christian when they say this.</div> <bR> <div>     So what are <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>you </I></FONT>about?  Intake or output?  You should say Intake, of course, but where's your proof?  If someone else was asked the question about you, what would he say?  Is it obvious from your demeanor and speech that you are a humble servant of the truth?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_15"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="492" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:3</div> <div> <B>When the immoral man comes, scorn also comes, </B></div> <div> <B>and with shameful </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>behavior </B></I></FONT><B>comes ruined reputation. </B><B> </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Ruined reputation" is from a root word meaning "to pull off, to expose", usually translated "disgrace" or "reproach" in this verse.  "Ruined reputation" was chosen to distinguish it sufficiently from "shameful."</div> <div>     "Immoral man" could be translated "immorality / wickedness".</div> <div>     "Shameful" could be translated "shameful one".  "Shameful" is from a root word meaning "light", the opposite of the Hebrew "heavy", which is at the base of the concept for "glory".</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The coming of the godless</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Inglory </div> <bR> <div> Adjuncts:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Brings contempt also </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Accompanied by humiliation</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     This almost seems a follow-on from 11:2,</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 11:2</FONT>  Pride comes, then <U>shame</U> comes, but with the lowly <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I>  </FONT>wisdom. </div> <bR> <div>     Solomon no doubt assumes that we are doing word studies as part of our analysis of his proverbs.  "Shame" in 11:2 is the same as our "shame" or "shameful (behavior/person)" in 18:3.  The "comes" motif is also similar, using the same word.  Shame in 11:2 apparently refers to an inner feeling of shame.  </div> <div>     But further than the words, our verse continues the logic begun in 11:2.  Our proverb continues that not only does shame accompany pride, but then humiliation accompanies shame.  The prideful, me-centered man invites personal disgrace by his arrogance.  Then his personal <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>disgrace </I></FONT>cannot hide itself, but is manifested in some form of public <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>humiliation</I></FONT>.  Perhaps it will be humiliation before one person or perhaps before more, but pride, which cannot be hidden, leads to a disgrace which cannot be veiled.</div> <div>     Our verse arrives at the inner shame via the entrance of the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>immoral man</I></FONT>, rather than that of the prideful man as in 11:2.  When the immoral man arrives, he brings <B>contempt </B>with him.  You cannot entertain the ungodly and disinvite scorn.  Scorn is his automatic companion.  This means that he will <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>despise </I></FONT>people or things that he ought not.  His contempt begins with his inner defiance of God and His ways.  The immoral is his own rule, so God holds no respect in his eyes.  Who else would he then necessarily honor?  </div> <div>     Beware the immoral man with words of respect for God!  How many on earth have been subverted by the crafty hypocrite!  Remember, Jesus told us that we would know them by their fruits.  Respect for God and disrespect for man do not come from the same source, James tells us.  One who disrespects man disrespects God.  Similarly, respect for God and disrespect for His Word or His laws do not come from the same source.</div> <bR> <div>     A contemptuous man may only have <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>one </I></FONT>target for his contempt.  There are men who accord respect to everyone around them, except one- their wives!  Wives are common objects of contempt:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Col 3:19</FONT>  Husbands, love <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>your</I></FONT> wives, and do not be <U>bitter</U> against them.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     This admonition assumes the tendency among husbands to take their wives for granted.  Wives are a life-long responsibility, and they turn out to be real human beings after the romancing stage.  A husband is prone to be angry with his previous ecstasy.  How could he have perceived her an angelic being?  Well, if there was embellishment, it was cooperative.  If there was fantasy, the reality becomes this:  stop fantasizing and start loving.</div> <div>     Not to play tit for tat, but husbands are also common objects of contempt by wives.  Not surprisingly, children are routinely despised by parents, and, yes, parents by children.  All the people we are around the most tend to bring out our worse- that is, the real us.</div> <div>     The scary thought is- is it the real us <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>underneath </I></FONT>the new man in Christ?  Or is it simply the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>real us</I></FONT>, and the Christian man is just a facade?</div> <div>     How you feel in your heart can't be played off.  If you think you're better than others, it will come out in the way you treat them.  But if you are a follower of the Servant of Yahweh, you will recognize and fight this tendency, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>with </I></FONT>the ability to overcome it (not rid its influence from your life, unfortunately).</div> <div>     The contemptuous person is setting himself up for shame and humiliation.  He proceeds lawlessly, and there is a price for lawlessness.  There are degrees of insensitivity which immorality produces.  God raises the heat and pressure to the degree necessary to shamefully expose immorality.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_16"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="492" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:4</div> <div> <B>The words of a man's mouth </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>are</B></I></FONT><B> deep waters; </B></div> <div> <B>the fountain of wisdom  </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is </B></I></FONT><B>a flowing stream. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Fountain" is from a word meaning "something dug, a source."</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The words of a man's mouth</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The fountain of wisdom</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Deep waters </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A running river</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Here is another of Solomon's anthropological studies.  What is man made of?  Particularly, what is he made of <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>naturally </I></FONT>versus what he may become by the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>fear of Jehovah</I></FONT>?</div> <div>     Naturally, man's words reflect a very deep source- the image of God.  In some way, a man's words therefore reflect God himself.  There is depth, there is eternity, there is life and death in a man's words, as in a man's soul.  This depth and breadth reflects the soul of God who made man in His image and likeness.  This is why "every idle word will be judged."  It is because our idle words testify that we are <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>averting </I></FONT>eternal issues.  Idle words therefore say as much about us as deep philosophical statements.</div> <div>     Man's words are like deep waters.  If you dive in, you can sense the depth and fathom what is being said.  But this is as true of any man's words- even a fool's.  Solomon is telling us that there is something DIFFERENT about the wise man's words.  A wise man's words are also deep.  They come from depths beneath earth's surface, since they come from a fountain or spring.  The difference is, they don't settle in one area.  They run along on earth's surface as a stream or river.</div> <div>     So what is Solomon saying?  What is the point of the comparison between a lake and a stream?</div> <div>     First, we realize that he is saying that wisdom is something different, something more.  This does not mean that there is something wrong with deep waters- or man's words by nature- we all have them.  It only means that, by comparison, a river does something <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>further </I></FONT>that commends itself to the definition of wisdom.</div> <div>     What is this something more?  The something more is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>movement</I></FONT>.  The river comes to you, so to speak; the lake doesn't.  So Solomon seems to be saying that there are depths in all men's words if you care to plumb them, but wisdom brings the depths <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>to you</I></FONT>.  It is possible to get water from either source, but wisdom serves it up- man's natural state only allows it.  </div> <div>     Furthermore, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>both </I></FONT>metaphors are true of the wise man.  His word are deep, since this is true of all men, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>and </I></FONT>his words flow like a river as well.  He can be, as we have seen before, a hospital <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>and </I></FONT>an ambulance.</div> <div>     One more thing is peculiar to a stream- it tends to be self-cleansing.  Still waters are subject to various contaminations because there is no easy way to clear them when contaminants are introduced.  But in a stream, fresh water is renewing the stream every moment; contaminants are moved downstream; they are flushed out by quantities of moving water.</div> <div>     In fact, the stream is the only water that will carry you to God (having been dug by Him in the first place).  The still, deep waters of the lake will only leave man as he naturally is- cut off from God.</div> <bR> <div>     So the question for us is:  Do we serve up the flowing waters of wisdom?</div> <div>     Most men are content to have deep waters.  They can mouth a few religious platitudes which they think qualify them for God's favor.  They do not realize that wisdom goes much further than some basic recognitions.  Wisdom takes deep thoughts and directs them.  Wisdom becomes salvation.  Man's natural depths only <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>recognize </I></FONT>bigger issues in life, wisdom actually <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>utilizes </I></FONT>its information.  </div> <div>     Wisdom knows that man can sense what he does about right, wrong, accountability, and eternity because God has made us accountable.  The image of God has put enough within us to clearly recognize God both through seeing what He has made <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>and </I></FONT>through the testimony of our own soul and conscience.  So mere recognition is not enough.  When a man becomes wise, he knows that he must line up, like a stream, with a definite direction and then <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>go there</I></FONT>.  Wisdom also becomes obedience.</div> <div>     Do your words betray bare recognition, or do your words head men where God's wisdom directs?</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***********************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_17"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="492" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFF99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:5</div> <div> <I><B>It is</B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B> not good to favor the person of the wicked, </B></FONT></div> <div> <I><B>nor</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>to turn aside the righteous in judgment. </B></FONT></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Favor the person" is literally "lift up the face".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Showing partiality to the immoral <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>in judgment</I></FONT></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Turning aside the righteous 'in court'</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Not good </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Not good</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     This proverb has an official and an unofficial side.  </div> <div>     On the official side, it is about 'the courtroom'; that is, a judge or elder's presence, often convened before the gate of ancient eastern cities.</div> <div>     On the unofficial side, it is about decisions you and I make every day that involve people and justice.  When we ignore justice and truth in our dealings with people, we are in trouble.  It's just as much a problem of our contempt for right as it is the inequities we birth among people around us.</div> <div>     The Hebrew phrase "lifting the face" is very interesting.  The imagery involved is that of a suppliant kneeling before a decision-maker seeking his favor.  If the authority is kindly disposed, he 'lifts the face' of the suppliant in acceptance of his plea.  The only other place Solomon uses the phrase is in 6:35, where he says that the husband of an unfaithful wife will not "lift the face" of any ransom the adulterous man might bring him.  This may mean he would not lift the face of the adulterer himself, but it may also mean he would not 'regard' the ransom.</div> <div>     The book of Job gives us important insight on the 'lifting of face':</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Job 42:8, 9</FONT>  And now take for you seven young bulls and seven rams and go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. And My servant <U>Job</U> <U>will pray for you</U>.  Surely I will <U>lift up his face</U> so as not to do with you <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>according to your</I></FONT>  folly, in that you have not spoken the right about Me, as My servant Job.  And Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>and</I> </FONT>Zophar the Naamathite went and did as Jehovah spoke to them. And Jehovah <U>lifted the face</U> of Job. </div> <bR> <div>     Isn't that amazing!  God lifted up Job's face <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>on behalf of</I></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" > </FONT>his friends!  God would not lift his friends' faces themselves.  It seems God purposely chose Job as an intermediary since they had written him off as cursed by God.</div> <div>     The first use of 'lifting the face' in Scriptures is when the angel allowed Lot to escape to a small city instead of the mountains:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Gen 19:21</FONT>  And He said to him, See, I have <U>lifted up your face</U> also as to this thing, without overthrowing the city for which you have spoken. </div> <bR> <div>     "Lifted of face" was also an expression for someone of influence in a community, someone who was generally respected:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Isa 9:15</FONT>  The elder and the <U>exalted of face</U>; he is the head.  And the prophet who teaches lies, he <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I> </FONT>the tail. </div> <bR> <div>     So to show favor to someone who has done wrong is to make a moral judgment.  It is to say, "This person is acceptable to me."  It is to say, then, about his immorality, "Standards of right and wrong vary according to the person."  But worst of all, it says, "I, not God, will make the final decision about who or what is acceptable."</div> <div>     Just as wicked and ungodly as the above is the decision to shade justice in the other direction, to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>criminalize </I></FONT>a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>good </I></FONT>person or act.  </div> <div>     We are prone to commit this error just by being in a bad mood!  Nothing that anyone does is acceptable when we are angry.  So the righteous gets swept away with the wicked.  But to look a good person or act right in the eye and condemn him- how serious a sin this is!</div> <div>     Yet we all have occasion to commit this sin on a daily basis.  Sometimes it is as someone in authority, like a parent; but it also applies to anyone who forms a judgment- a child despising a parent for a restriction imposed.  We each become our own little courtroom by the attitudes we have towards those around us.  However, all our little courtrooms are in God's bigger courtroom.  What a mockery we live when we fail to recognize this and so fail to wield our power accordingly.</div> <bR> <div>     A society is in trouble when standards are not enforced in a just and equal way.</div> <div>     An individual is in trouble when he inwardly condemns those who have done no wrong <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>or </I></FONT>overlooks errors of those who should be taken to task.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> **********************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_18"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="387" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:6</div> <div> <B>A fool's lips find their way into a quarrel, </B></div> <div> <B>and his mouth calls for a beating. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Find their way to" is literally "come into".  </div> <div>     "Beating" is literally "blows".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The dullard</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">His lips come into strife</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">His mouth cries out for blows</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     The fool's mouth is once again the culprit in his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>wrong-doing</I></FONT> and his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>undoing</I></FONT>.</div> <div>     This is, in fact, the course Solomon follows in describing him here.  He first tells us the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>transgression </I></FONT>a fool's mouth will commit, then he follows this action, these words, to the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>pain </I></FONT>that is called upon him in consequence.</div> <div>     Solomon the theologian is an amazing fellow.  He gives us unbreakable principles by which men's souls operate.  Yet he is mainly noted for giving practical advice and hints for daily living.  Which have we seen more- practical advice or theological principles?  Of course, the theological principles are usually for the purpose of identifying certain men so we can deal wisely with them.  Still, they are theological principles; yet Solomon is not noted for his theologizing.  </div> <div>     The probable reason for this is the supposed exceptions to Solomon's 'rules'.  One of the most common comments on Proverbs is, "You can't take proverbs as iron-clad rules.  They are generalities that often have exceptions."  So most people who choose to see Solomon as a platitude-plopper think they're doing him a favor.  They also think they're doing God a favor, lest people get the impression that God is trying to be exact when He's actually only trying to approximate.</div> <div>     As we have seen, Solomon's wording, under the guidance of God's Spirit, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>is </I></FONT>quite exact.  It is the presumptions, assumptions, and misreadings of men that have led them to see exceptions.  Once Solomon's language is discerned, his meanings are, like all the rest of Scriptures, iron-clad.</div> <div>     This causes one to wonder:  How can Christians pretend to have confidence in a Book that is less accurate than a technical manual they might read?  How many Christians are really bugged by the discrepancy between our doctrine of Scripture's Divine Inspiration and the little leaks in Proverbs (as well as other Bible books)?  The lack of a fuss about this seems to suggest that we have quietly accepted that God either can't communicate on a real human level or that He chooses to be ambiguous, perhaps to keep us from thinking we can figure Him out.  Of course, neither of these conclusions should be in the least acceptable to us.</div> <div>     So with our proverb today.</div> <div>     "Who says a fool will <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>always </I></FONT>find his way into a quarrel?  Certainly some fools don't.  This must be a vague generality again."</div> <div>     Of course, Solomon never says that every conversation of a fool ends in a quarrel.  He merely says that a fool's words will always <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>eventually </I></FONT>lead him to quarreling.  Maybe not this conversation or the next, but eventually.</div> <div>     And how can Solomon guarantee this?</div> <div>     Because Solomon the theologian knows what man is made of.  Since the Fall, man has been an incurable JUDGE- actually, a judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one- allowing, of course, for the personal brand of execution we commit by unrighteous anger in our hearts.</div> <div>     When man kicked God <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>off </I></FONT>the throne of judgment, we permanently branded <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>ourselves </I></FONT>as Replacement Judges.  Our sin nature will not let us operate contrary to this rule.  Not until a new heart is given us can we even truly oppose this tendency.  The fool has no new heart.  His mouth will always fall into judging language.</div> <div>     Solomon merely puts two and two together.  If everyone is infected with this Rogue Judge bug, one Judge crossing paths with another is bound to cause a fight eventually.  Neither Judge will concede certain sacred ground.  The 'army' of polemic words is sent out to defend our honor and/or bring blasphemers to justice.</div> <div>     So a fool's words will always set him up for a fight, either to defend what he has 'divinely' decreed, or to attack another fool's heresy.</div> <div>     Solomon's last 'plus two' (2 + 2 + 2 = 6) is that blows are not unlikely to be landed in these fights.  Of course, all he actually says is that foolish words <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>call for</I></FONT> blows.  We all know that arguments don't come to blows nearly as often as they might, but they are certainly <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>invited</I></FONT> often.  The blows spoken of can either be an official punishment or just a knock from someone we've angered.  Even the unofficial knock is partly stamped with Divine authorization; Providence directs just ends upon transgressors.</div> <bR> <div>     So- do your words evidence a new heart?</div> <div>     Or are you just an old fallen judge, scrapping for a fight?</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *********************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_19"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="373" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCC99 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:7</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>A fool's mouth </B></FONT><I><B>is</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>his undoing, </B></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>and his lips </B></FONT><I><B>are</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>a trap for his soul. </B></FONT></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Undoing" is literally "dissolution".  </div> <div>     "Trap" is literally "noose".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The dullard</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">His mouth is his undoing</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">His lips are a trap for his soul</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Here is the second proverb in a row on a fool's speech, using the same basic words- "dullard", "mouth", and "lips".  This one, however, is even more serious.  In this proverb, the fool is his own prison and, in a sense, his own punishment; at least, he will see no good until he is finally given over to punishment.</div> <div>     The fool's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>mouth</I></FONT>, his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>whole organ</I></FONT> of speech, operates as a unit toward his own undoing.  Everything he says aids his downfall.  Every tone in his speech lubricates the machine he drives that ultimately runs him over.  In terms of man as JUDGE (see comments on previous proverb), all the sentences we decree against others are ultimately pronounced against ourselves.</div> <div>    The fool's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>lips</I></FONT>, the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>gateway </I></FONT>of his speech, are like a noose that catches his feet, entraps him, and holds him prisoner.  He makes boasts that are beyond his ability, and they come back to hunt him down.  He raised others' expectations; now he is a failure in their eyes.  He accepted a responsibility above his ability or time; now he is discouraged and angry.</div> <div>     In the long-run, all a fool's words, like a wise man's words, are being stored up until Judgment Day:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Matt 12:37</FONT>  For <U>by your words</U> you shall be <U>justified</U>, and by your words you shall be <U>condemned</U>.<FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     God will need nothing more than what we said to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>acquit </I></FONT>us of wrongdoing or <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>sentence </I></FONT>us for our lawlessness.  A fool's words will prove that he had no interest in the sacrifice of Christ to cover his sin.  </div> <div>     A righteous man will prove himself by words that despaired of any personal righteousness!  His words, especially his prayers, will cast himself completely upon God's mercy through the merit of Christ.  "Let what Christ did count for me!" he will plead, "Since He lived to obey God's Law for others, let one of them be me!"  Furthermore, he will ask that Christ's death cover his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>un</I></FONT>righteousness.  And, finally, he will ask that the Spirit of God will conform him more and more to the Law he had broken, since that Law defines what is pleasing to God, what is according to love.</div> <div>     God made us in His image.  He <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>commits Himself</I></FONT> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" > </FONT>by His words.  We cannot keep our words from being tools of commitment.  The fool commits himself to a course of self-exaltation and independence from God by his words.  This ruins him in this life and the next.  His God-like judgments put him in a position to have to know much more than he possibly can, and to have more wisdom in the use of that knowledge than he can possibly acquire- all because he will not submit to God as all-wise and sovereign.  He is trapped in his ignorance, and his wrong decisions separate him more and more from God and good.  They ensnare his soul in ignorance and rebellion against a good Creator.</div> <bR> <div>     What do your lips indicate about you?</div> <div>     Commitment to God, or commitment to your own way?  Perhaps commitment to some imagined middle way?</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***********************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="557" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCCCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:8</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>The words of a slanderer </B></FONT><I><B>are</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>like choice morsels; </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>and they go down </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>into</B></I><B> </B></FONT><B>the inner chambers of the belly. </B><B> </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Choice morsels" is from a Hebrew word used only here and the identical verse, 26:22.  Some translations take it to mean "wounds".  </div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The words of the slanderer</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Like tasty treats</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">They descend into the chambers of the stomach</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Foolish words are not only a snare for the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>speaker </I></FONT>(see previous proverb, 18:7), they are also a snare for the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>hearer</I></FONT>.</div> <div>     This is the proverb that tells us how absolutely crucial it is to avoid listening to slander.  We already learned that it is the liar and evil-doer who listen to slander (17:4); now we find that listening to gossip is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>irreversible</I></FONT>!</div> <div>     The words of the gossip are like a tray of delectable hors d'oeuvres- so irresistible!  But once we try one, it integrates with our digestive system.  If food turns out to be poison, we can only hope that our body can expel it.  With gossip, however, the words are poison brought into the poisonous environment of the sinner's soul.  There is no unnatural reaction.  Our judgmental nature readily ingests and assimilates the negative information.</div> <div>     Solomon's depiction makes gossip like a snake finding its way into the deepest recesses of a mouse's hole.  There it seizes its prey.  What is even deadlier about gossip is that it can begin its travels into our interior <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>by accident</I></FONT>.  We can be passing by people in conversation and hear something negative said about someone and- the damage is done!  How can you undo that?  The venom finds its way into your soul; your opinion of that person is lowered.  The gossip has achieved its result even without your direct consent.  The best you can hope for is to treat the person impartially, despite the damaging information.</div> <div>     Our proverb says something about a gossip:  he likes to serve up his news enticingly.  His gossip is called a "tasty morsel".  He has tasted the effect of well-served gossip- and how delicious!  He has watched when others have reveled in his well-told slander- how rewarding!  Now he likes to repeat the experience time and again.  New recipes, new spices, new serving ideas...  all for this power over men's souls.</div> <div>     If calories were actually accumulated in swallowing choice gossip morsels, many of the thin little lasses we know would be super blimpo hippos.</div> <bR> <div>     When the subject of another person crosses your lips, are you in careful mode?  Or are you texturing your delivery of information to keep yourself from seeming slanderous, yet still being able to convey something negative about the person?</div> <div>     When we talk about others, we have to be very careful that negative impressions are not left.*  If we have a bad impression of someone, that person is almost certainly not a permissible topic of conversation.  </div> <div>     There is something seemingly therapeutic in talking about someone who bothers us.  Solomon is telling us that the therapy is actual poison being taken in a sugar pill.</div> <bR> <div> *  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >When apostles mention names of those to beware of (1 Tim 1:20; 3 Jn 1:9, etc.), they are not slandering, because the information is not in reference to self but to God; it is God's negative opinion they are conveying.  It it not that Paul or John disapproved of so-and-so; it is that God did</FONT>.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_21"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="437" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:9</div> <div> <B>He also who is remiss in his duty, </B></div> <div> <B>he </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is</B></I></FONT><B> a brother to a master of ruin. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Duty" is from a Hebrew root word translated "angel", meaning literally, "messenger".</div> <div>     "Ruin" is the word used in Genesis 6:11, 12 for the "corrupt" condition of earth and man causing God to bring the flood.  Then it is the word God uses in the next verse, saying He would "destroy" the earth.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The one who is slack in his assigned duty</div> <bR> <div> Description:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Brother to an expert of ruin</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <div>     </div> <div>     Here is a proverb on the lazy man, though you might not find it if you were only doing a word study, since this is the only time Solomon uses "slack" in this sense.</div> <div>     Consider Solomon's whole thinking on the subject.  Laziness is one of the areas of sin/foolishness Solomon gives special attention to.  For Solomon the theologian, work is part of his anthropology, his doctrine of <B>man</B>.  Man was made to <B>work</B>.  Work is something we do as part of God's image.  God is a 'natural-born' worker, so He made us to be workers.  It is an <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>honor</I></FONT>, then, to work- not a punishment.</div> <div>     The person, therefore, who shirks work is committing a great sin.  He is not merely leaving a particular job undone or poorly done, he is leaving <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>himself </I></FONT>undone!  He is failing to fulfill the natural description of man as worker.  Therefore, he makes himself <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>less </I></FONT>than human.</div> <div>     Solomon, however, focuses on a different aspect of the lazy man today.  He is telling us something about the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>effects </I></FONT>of laziness.  The effects of laziness are basically <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>destructive</I></FONT>.  This is very important information, because we would tend to think of laziness as mainly a character problem.  It seems like a largely 'victimless' crime.  As we could probably surmise through the interconnections of all things God made, though, there are no victimless crimes.  All sins, as all kinds of activity, affect others and not just myself.</div> <div>     Solomon teaches us the connection between laziness and destruction by means of a family type analogy.  The man who is remiss in his assigned work is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>brother </I></FONT>to a destroyer.  Brother- same mother, same blood, same family name.  And what is that family name?  "Leaves Ruin in Wake" would be a kind of Native American descriptive name for them.  The lazy man isn't going about bashing and crumpling people and things, but eventually, his family trait proves true.  Things left half done or poorly done do end up causing waste, harm, and destruction.</div> <div>     To sharpen the analogy, Solomon makes the lazy man's brother a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>master </I></FONT>destroyer.  His family name and ability includes <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>great </I></FONT>output.  No ordinary destruction is associated with this brood.  Ironic, isn't it?  The man implicated in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>small </I></FONT>output is actually working towards a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>hefty </I></FONT>heyday!  Every job he leaves undone is a responsibility someone else will have to come back and redo, perhaps after <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>un</I></FONT>doing the improper original workmanship.  All in all, he employs a large crew to clean up behind his life's work.  Many of them may well be bent and broken by the load.</div> <div>     Think of all the work the fixers <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>could </I></FONT>have been doing.  Think of all the deadlines missed.  Think of all the present work being missed because of make-up work.  And in their haste to bring things back to normal, they make mistakes, cause injury, heighten frustrations in which yet more damage is done.  Yes, a master destroyer is a lazy person.</div> <bR> <div>     How do you approach your work?  Do you put it off as long as possible?</div> <div>     You should tackle it with relish:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Eccl 11:4 - 6</FONT>  He who <U>watches</U> the wind shall not sow; and he who pays attention to the clouds shall not reap.   As you do not know what <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I> </FONT>the way of the spirit, as how the bones <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>grow</I> </FONT>in the pregnant woman's womb; even so you do not know the works of God who makes all.  In the morning <U>sow</U> your seed, and in the evening <U>do not withhold your hand</U>; for <B>you do not know what shall be blessed</B>, either this or that, or whether they both <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>shall be</I></FONT>  fruitful in the same way. </div> <bR> <div>     Of course, the same thing applies to our spiritual duties.  How do you handle God's commands to pray?  To study His Word?  To be a working, cooperative part of a local fellowship?  Laziness in these is just as destructive, but to something even more important- ours and others' spirits.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *****************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_22"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="446" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:10</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>The name of Jehovah </B></FONT><I><B>is</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>a strong tower; </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>the righteous runs into it and is </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>set on</B></I></FONT><B> high. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Strong tower" could also be translated "tower of strength," thereby connoting that strength is drawn from the tower rather than that the tower itself is strong.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The name of Jehovah</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A strong tower</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The righteous run into it and are sheltered</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     This is the only time Solomon references the "Name of Jehovah" in his writings, though he is connected with it quite a bit in Kings and Chronicles in building a house "for the name of Jehovah".</div> <div>     The Name of Jehovah is a major concept in Scriptures.  It is obvious that the "Name of Jehovah" is more that just something to call Him.  Probably the simplest definition of "name" is "that which defines."  So we could say that God's Name is 'that by which He makes Himself known'.  And what is the chief way God makes Himself known?  The Psalmist says it is by His Word:</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Psa 138:2</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  ... for You have magnified Your Word above all Your name. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     The Scriptures are the chief way God makes Himself known.  Even God's Name in the flesh, Jesus Christ, submitted His own definition to whatever was written about Him:</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Matt 26:53, 54</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Certainly, then, it is pretty cheeky for <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>us </I></FONT>to avoid defining <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>ourselves </I></FONT>by Scriptures.  </div> <div>     A definition, by nature, limits, and we don't like to be limited.  We especially don't like to be tied to appellations such as 'sinner', but the wise man will embrace God's definition of him.  He will also seek the fullness of the Scriptural definition of God, for to know Him is to be linked to eternal life.  This is part of what Solomon is teaching.  God's Name- that is, our connection to Him by embracing His self-revelation- is a strong tower of refuge for us.  Within it, we are safe; outside it, we are not.</div> <div>     Solomon is hereby defining the righteous person for us.  Who is righteous?  Whoever finds who he is and confines himself to the protecting walls of God's revealed character and deeds.  Thus Solomon continues his major task in Proverbs- defining spiritual reality in men.  This one knows Gods, that one doesn't.  This one is wise, that one an independent fool.  These spiritual definitions make Proverbs the First John of the Old Testament.</div> <div>     First John has one basic thrust:  to define a Christian versus a counterfeit.  John gives three basic tests in three cycles beginning in chapter two and ending in chapter five.  Who is a Christian?  He who keeps God's commands, loves other Christians, and has correct doctrine, especially the doctrine of Christ- that He is God, man, and the only Savior.  First John is not a popular book in our day, because Christendom has its own definition of who a Christian is:  the one who has prayed 'the sinner's prayer'.  Of course, someone who prays 'the sinner's prayer' may become a Christian, but we cannot know it until we have tested him by God's standards.  And the tests are there <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>to be</I></FONT> used as a sifter.  That's another reason we don't like First John.  We  consider it impolite to question someone who says he's a Christian.</div> <div>     No doubt, this is the real reason Proverbs is so little utilized as well.</div> <div>     Are you a Christian?  </div> <div>     Well, do you <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>run?</I></FONT>  That is, do you feel a compelling urgency in your soul that hastens you towards God as protector?  Or is the whole proposition of God as Savior pretty academic to you?  If so, Solomon defines you as unrighteous.  A man only partakes of the righteousness of God in the Tower of God's Salvation.  Until a person sees that he needs both the righteousness and the forgiveness supplied by God's grace, he is in his sins.  </div> <div>     <B>Important note</B>:  it is rather fanciful to speak of God as a defensive fort without defining the <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>enemies </I></FONT>we need shelter from.  Three enemies, two outside us and one within, define our whole urgency in running to God.  It is the world and the Devil we cannot surmount as forces <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>outside </I></FONT>us, as they both entice us <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>and </I></FONT>oppress us.  It is also sin <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>within </I></FONT>us we are ill-equipped to battle.  These are the true forces that define our urgency in running to God.  If we see that we are outmanned and in mortal danger, we will run to God.  It's that simple.</div> <div>     The Christian finds his rest and his sense of well-being in God's promises.  "Oh God, You have said that You are protector to those who know they cannot save themselves.  So I humbly come to You, and so I seek to abide nowhere else."  </div> <div>     It is important that a Christian <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>daily renews</I></FONT> the remembrance of his own weakness and God's intervening strength.  Jesus gave us the Lord's Table so we wouldn't forget altogether.</div> <div>     This proverb is not given for our equivocation.  It is not an academic question.  RUN to Jehovah, His Name, His Word, His promises of salvation, as your protection:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >John 6:37</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me, and the </FONT><I>one</I>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >who comes to Me I will in no way cast out. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     It will be clear who feels in danger outside of Christ by who's running.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *******************************************************************</div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_23"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="413" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:11</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>The rich man's wealth </B></FONT><I><B>is</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>his strong city, </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>and as a high wall in his imagination. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Imagination" could also be translated "picture".  Of the six times the word is used, three are as a term for idols.</div> <div>     There are two words in this verse that are also in the previous verse.  "Strong" city was "strong" tower.  A "high" wall was the righteous "<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Palatino Linotype" ><I>set on</I></FONT> high".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The rich man's wealth</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">His strong city</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Like a high wall according to his own picture <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>of it</I></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     There is little question that Solomon intended to draw a contrast between this proverb and the previous one.</div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="724" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="69"><div> 18:10</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> The Name of Jehovah</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> = a strong tower</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> A high refuge </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="144"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="144" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="69"><div> 18:11</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> The rich man's wealth</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="152"><div> = a strong city</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="128"><div> A high wall</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> In his conception</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>     When we leave the final box blank in the first column, we can see a suggested contrast.  The rich man only <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>pictures </I></FONT>his wealth as his refuge; Jehovah's Name is a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>real </I></FONT>refuge.  Intriguing contrast, eh?  The Name of Jehovah, that which He gives to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>represent </I></FONT>Himself, is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>more real</I></FONT> than the money the rich man can run his fingers through and purchase influence and comforts with.  And his riches are a high wall, not just a tower... at least in his own thinking.  The imaginary wall of possessions protects himself and his possessions... as well as any imaginary wall can.</div> <div>     So we can see two reasons Solomon would have set up these contrasting trusts.</div> <div>     Firstly, we can now see that the righteous are not running to a refuge their own faith constructed out of nothing (or perhaps constructed out of fear or insecurity).  There <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>really is</I></FONT> something for us to run to.  (To be sure, many run to God out of fear or insecurity and never rise above idolatry, since they insist on their own conception of Him rather than His Self-revelation).  God is a <B>solid </B>trust.</div> <div>     Secondly, we can see that any earthly trust is headed for a <B>downfall</B>.  Per the common observation on 1 Timothy 6:10, it is "the love of money," not money itself, that sprouts every kind of transgression.  So here we could substitute 'trust in money' as also a root of all possible evils.  We have already learned Solomon's basic perspective on wealth, that it is a blessing from God.  But like any blessing, we can turn it into an idol by misperception/ misuse of it.</div> <div>     The rich man, properly so called, leans upon his wealth as his answer to every problem in life.</div> <div>     The Christian leans upon his God for every need.</div> <div>     Abraham, Job, and Joseph of Arimathea were 'rich men' in the Bible who trusted God.  How can we square this with Jesus' plain testimony?</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Matt 19:23, 24</FONT>  And Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with <U>great difficulty</U> enter into the kingdom of Heaven.  And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. </div> <bR> <div>     Obviously, the three men mentioned had to 'throw their money out the window' <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>in their own minds</I></FONT> in order to truly trust God.  The foolish rich man piles his wealth as a high wall around him <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>in his own mind</I></FONT>.  It is totally a matter of perspective.  Of course, <B>genuine perspective</B> will result in consistent decisions and actions.  It is easy to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>say </I></FONT>we trust God and then rely on our wealth, or whatever resources we have at our disposal.</div> <div>     From time to time God gives us a test to see where our trust lies.  We always make that decision in line with our real trust, not our mouthed trust.  Thorough hypocrites live so far from reality in their made-up world they will never see the two in the same glance, even if you lay them both right in front of him with a guided tour:  "Here's your Jesus talk.  Here's the rule by which you actually live."  Still, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>no comprendo</I></FONT>.  </div> <div>     The fleshly Christian will be in a position to feel some pangs of conscience as he fails a test once again.  He <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Poor Richard" ><I>should </I></FONT>get it, but he just can't.  He's only doing what's American.  If someone else would cross the line and become 'unAmerican' for him as an example first, maybe ...</div> <bR> <div>     Of course, as a Christian, you're either a strong one- a spiritual one, or else you're a fleshly one (1 Cor 3:1*).  </div> <div>     What trust keeps you afloat, especially in times of trial?  Remember, a trial isn't going to come with a sign painted on it: "Trial: Handle With Care."  It's going to come camouflaged, embedded mundanely in whatever situation you're in at the moment.  There will be continuity with yesterday's situations; it won't stand out as a trial.  You are most definitely trusting in something.  It is most definitely manifested in the way you speak and live.  </div> <div>     Oh, unhappy man who doesn't even know he is leaning on the arm of flesh!  Trials tend to cement us in our present trust.  God has to plan some major dynamiting projects when His children have simply drifted wholesale into idolatry, trusting our own wits or man's resources in whatever way.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >*  </FONT>Notice that Paul is not creating a new category of Christian.  There are no ordinary Christians who are also fleshly (per the Carnal Christian heresy of a generation ago).  Paul equates the fleshly Christian to a <I>baby </I>one.  We <I>were </I>completely fleshly as non-Christians; we still think partly fleshly as <I>baby </I>Christians while we are reprogramming our minds and actions by Scriptural reality.  Paul assumed that the Corinthians would continue to grow IF they were Christians.  They were just stuck in spiritual infancy for an unnaturally long period:  so he chides them.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ******************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_24"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="427" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCB2 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:12</div> <div> <B>Before shattering, the heart of man is lofty, </B></div> <div> <B>and before honor </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is</B></I></FONT><I><B> </B></I><B>lowliness. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Before" is literally "to the face of" both times.  When it is translated "before," it is usually a preposition of space; here of time.</div> <div>     "Honor" has the idea of weight, and is the usual word for God's "glory".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Loftiness of heart</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Lowliness</div> <bR> <div> Their Differing Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Precedes ruination</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Precedes glory</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     The second half of this verse is an exact repeat of 15:33.  There it was the complement of this first half:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 15:33</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  The fear of Jehovah </FONT><I>is</I> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >the discipline of wisdom</FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Now Solomon revisits lowliness as a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>contrast </I></FONT>rather than as a complement.  Now lowliness is being contrasted to 'highness', loftiness, pride.</div> <div>     The first half of our verse is echoed in 16:18,</div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 16:18</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  Pride goes before destruction </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     There "pride" is "to mount up," so the idea of height is still present.  "Destruction" is the same as in our verse.  "Before" is the same but is not the first word as in our verse (first for both phrases, in fact).</div> <div>     There are at least a couple of other verses in Proverbs with very similar teaching.  This is obviously a pivotal principle for Solomon.  Why?  Because it peculiarly supports his theme:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 1:7</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >   The fear of Jehovah </FONT><I>is</I>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     Our verse is almost a retelling of this theme.  It has the lowly man bowing before Jehovah in reverence and humility, on his way to honor through knowledge.  It has the exalted man neglecting and rejecting God's ways, and so rejecting God- a path that can only invite the Supreme Judge's retribution.</div> <div>     In the immediate context of our verse, we have just had two verses with highness- the righteous being 'set on high' when trusting Jehovah, and the rich man counting his riches as a 'high' wall.  Now <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >man's interior is seen as a height, best summed up by </FONT>his basic sin, pride.  It is specifically contrasted to "lowliness," a word with a downward orientation in both the Hebrew word and its root.  So we now learn that the righteous man from 18:10 does not count his righteousness as anything great, or even anything from himself.  Personally, his elevation is 'below sea level'.  He is humble.  That's what our 18:12 adds to the paradigm.</div> <div>     Our verse is all about <B>preparation</B>, you might say.  We are all preparing for one future or another by our basic attitude.</div> <div>     The prideful man is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>preparing </I></FONT>to fracture all or part of his life.  His self-sufficiency is an affront to God and is simply a lie:  none of us lives unto himself or by his own power.</div> <div>     The humble man, on the other hand, is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>preparing </I></FONT>to be honored.  His insufficiency is a realistic assessment of himself, but is automatically met by offers of help from the one who made him and holds him together.</div> <div>     Again, our whole way of life and general attitude as a human is merely a preparation.  A future full of one thing or its opposite awaits us by the altitude of our souls.  A high orientation gets slapped down; a low orientation gets lifted up.*  </div> <div>     Solomon only mentions "heart" in connection with the prideful.  Exaltation is the natural condition of the human heart since the Fall.  The duty and lifelong goal of a Christian, then, is clear:  Correct this imbalance.  Apply downward pressure on our soul and be humble.  We were not meant to be 'mountain goats' spiritually- not yet.  We have to realize our true nature and be 'gophers' in the valley first.  This is how God prepares us for an exalted future.  "Realize who you are.  Live accordingly.  Reality and truth are an environment I can work in.  Warped egotism (which is <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>any </I></FONT>high self-opinion) I can only meet with correction and coldness."</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >* </FONT> All the advice we hear promoting high self-esteem should be held in a very dubious light hereby.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *****************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_25"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="427" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:13</div> <div> <B>If one answers a matter before he listens, </B></div> <div> <B>it </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>is</B></I></FONT><B> folly and shame to him. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Answers" is literally "returns".  </div> <div>     "Matter" is also "word", <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="PCSB Hebrew" >rbd, </FONT><I>dabar</I>.</div> <div>     When these two words are used in combination, it is often just translated "answers".  This is the only place 'dabar' would mean "matter" instead of "word".  "He who returns a word before he hears" is literal and makes good sense; but the common rendering is not incorrect grammatically.  Perhaps intended is "He who returns a word before he hears <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Palatino Linotype" ><I>a word</I></FONT>...".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">One who returns a word before he hears</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">It is foolishness to him</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">And shame</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Here is a proverb on being a good listener.  Communication is by nature a two-way process, and anyone who turns it into a virtual solo performance is operating against all sanity and propriety.  Communication becomes solo when one or both of the conversants do not truly <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>listen </I></FONT>to what the other is saying.  When someone does not seek to understand a communication <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>from the speaker's perspective</I></FONT>, he is apt to take the message wrongly in some way.  In other words, <B>sympathy </B>or empathy is an essential quality of true communication.  A conversant without sympathy is really only lecturing, because his only real aim is to get his point across.  Lecturing is well and good when a man is speaking before a group or merely giving someone instruction, but to lecture when dialogue is being assumed is indeed thick-headed ignorance and disgrace.  It is treating a person like a non-person.</div> <div>     One thing this proverb is telling us is that a human has the ability to analyze what another person is saying well enough to give a sensible-sounding answer even if he did not really think about what the person said.  Just as our ability to speak is automatic and words are usually composed 'on-the-fly', so our ability to listen is automatic, and we can discern the essential components of others' speech without direct analysis.  Therefore, it is quite likely that when our minds are distracted, we could both speak, hear, and answer without ever pausing to think about what is really being said.  We can all personally testify to the reality of this principle by the many times we have had brief conversations in coming or going which made no impression on our minds because they were accomplished automatically.</div> <div>     Furthermore, it is actually likely that we will not engage in real communication with another when we begin a conversation with <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>expected pleasantries</I></FONT>.  If a conversation begins in automatic mode, we have to disengage from that mode to enter into real dialogue.  In fact, dialogue is the goal.  Monologue is what is usually rendered.  With two selfish speakers, it might be called 'dual monologue' (an oxymoron).</div> <div>     Solomon may be especially highlighting certain situations in which people render <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>decisions </I></FONT>before they really have all the facts.  They 'return a word' before they actually hear the whole situation.  This is taking the importance of listening to a more or less official level.  </div> <div>     It is possible that in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>business</I></FONT>, a person who is a poor <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>personal </I></FONT>listener may understand his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>job </I></FONT>well enough to know that he must have all the job's elements in hand <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>from the customer's perspective</I></FONT> before he can render good service.  He will then systematically operate to exclude the possibility of misunderstanding from his communications.  However, if his personal interaction is poor, he is still likely to eventually misunderstand something spoken to him in the course of his information-gathering process.  A poor personal listener is still at a disadvantage in the business world.</div> <div>     All a good listener is is someone who accords another the humanity he accords himself.  Yup, it's the old Golden Rule again.  But it takes a certain amount of concentration to 'get inside someone's head' to understand what he is communicating.  That effort arises from basic concern for him as a human.  If he is a creature made in God's image, he is worth caring about and therefore really listening to.</div> <div>     There are certain features common to good listeners.  They usually make eye contact to discern facial movements, which are an important part of communication.  They take enough time in composing their return message to make sure they first understood what was said to them <B>and why</B>.  And they ask any clarifying questions necessary to keep themselves from appearing the fool in disgrace by answering according to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>mis</I></FONT>understanding.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >    Well, what can we say?  We are, after all, a foolish and disgraceful race.  Good listening is not the norm.  Most of us are unable to release concern for </FONT><I>self  </I>long <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >enough to have true concern for </FONT><I>others</I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >.  A Christian, therefore, must evidence his redemption in this basic state of mind accompanying this basic skill- namely, caring for and so listening to others.</FONT></div> <div>     Before we leave the subject, how common are prayers that aren't based on listening to God first?  So common is our hearing and speaking of these kind of prayers that most Christians feel they are really praying when they are really only conversing with themselves, like any bad listener.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_26"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="464" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#C0DCC0 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:14</div> <div> <B>The spirit of a man will sustain </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>him in</B></I></FONT><B> his infirmity; </B></div> <div> <B>But a pummeled spirit who can bear? </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Sustain" can also be "nourish".  </div> <div>     "Infirmity" is from a root word meaning "rubbed, worn".</div> <div>     "Pummeled" might be translated "beaten", but this might connote 'defeated' rather than 'received blows'.</div> <div>     "Bear" is literally "lift". </div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A man's spirit in sickness</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A man's spirit beaten down</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Will uphold him</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">No other resource to lift it</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Solomon's anthropology (doctrine of man) is so informative and so helpful.  Here Solomon places the body and spirit in proper relation, but also gives us guidance for times in which we might otherwise despair of any help.</div> <div>     A quick aside:  This verse might be taken as support for <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>Di</I></FONT>chotomy, the teaching that man is essentially only <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>two </I></FONT>parts- the body and the immaterial part, called either soul <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>or </I></FONT>spirit.  But <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>Tri</I></FONT>chotomy, the teaching that man is essentially <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>three </I></FONT>parts- body, soul, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>and </I></FONT>spirit, is not ruled out by our verse.  In fact, it may be supported by the change in gender for the two occurrences of "spirit" in the verse, one 'spirit', or immaterial part of man, standing for his personality, or soul, the other for his connection to God, or 'spirit proper'.</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >    Solomon's main point, though, is the relation of our inner man to our outer.  The relation is this:  Our inner man can support our </FONT><I>outer </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >in certain of its failures, but there is no further resource to support our </FONT><I>inner </I>man <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Perpetua" >should he fail.  Of course, Solomon makes no mention here of God's Spirit, which supports all life:</FONT></div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Psa 104:30</FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Eurostile" >  You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth. </FONT></div> <bR> <div>     This is how far Biblical teaching is from Buddhism or other teachings which say man is simply an emanation of the Divine.  In Christianity, God has made man apart from Himself.  Being sustained by Him does not make us part of Him.  The sense in which a Christian becomes part of God is not in being joined to His essential Self, but in being inseparably made part of His family.</div> <div>     Hence, God has made man's spirit with certain characteristics which make man man.  One of them is the ability to consider his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>outward </I></FONT>condition in a different light than his <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>overall </I></FONT>condition.  No man can separate himself from his bodily condition, but any man can think on his bodily condition in such a way as to uphold him when his body is flagging.  We have already learned that a cheerful heart acts like medicine for the body.  This is because our spirits undergird and actually nourish (or else poison) our bodies.  God already designed our bodies to heal themselves to a great extent.  Our spirits can actually further this process and make the difference between some illness or injury overcoming us or vice-versa.</div> <div>     So on to Solomon's second point.  If the spirit can sustain the body to a large extent, what can sustain the spirit?  The spirit can be bruised just like the body, though invisibly.  If we are emotionally injured, the faculty designed for overall support is itself in disrepair.  This is a true dilemma.</div> <div>     Solomon is leading us in two directions with this dilemma.</div> <div>     One is that we should not be in fretful consternation when a friend is depressed.  He has simply gotten near the bottom of his own resources to help himself.  We should add here that physical exhaustion is one cause of emotional deflation, because the spirit has expended all its resources in keeping the body going past its real 'empty' mark.  But however a person gets there, a 'mugged' spirit should not be a cause for hitting the panic button.  Bodies get tired by life's waves beating on us; so do spirits.  Time is needed for recovery; rest is needed for recovery.</div> <div>     The other direction Solomon is leading us is to God.  When our created spirits come to the end of their strength, the Creator of spirits can renew us.  We have to realize, though, that, as always, He is more interested in teaching us than in meeting our immediate needs.  If there is some reason we opened our spirits to a beating, we may need to learn better.  This is more important than a quick 'pick-me-up'.  God could have very wise reasons for leaving us in a slump for much longer than we would have thought wise or tolerable.  Sometimes, He seems to be exacerbating the situation by His remedy.  The saddest thing, though, is when a Christian in effect says, "I don't care about any lessons; just make me feel better."  And they make life a picnic with no rain allowed, a life where being down is a sin.</div> <div>     Finally, what of a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>terminally </I></FONT>broken heart and spirit?  Many people have died of broken hearts.  They had no reason to live, and so the pillars under the body withdrew their support.  They are the extreme case of our verse.  Is it wrong to pine away like this?  Though it seems there is no remedy when a soul is thus pining away, it is actually a choice the soul has made to hold on to its brokenness.  Following the pattern of the Psalms, in which there are numerous instances of a broken spirit, we must repair unto God, whether He answers us speedily or not.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> **************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_27"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="464" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#A6CAF0 > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:15</div> <div> <B>The heart of the discerning procures knowledge; </B></div> <div> <B>And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Procures" is from a word meaning "erect; hence, create; by extension, procure ".  </div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The heart of the discerning</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The ear of the wise</div> <bR> <div> Their Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Acquires knowledge</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Searches after knowledge</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     How does the <B>heart </B>differ from the <B>ear</B>?  The heart bespeaks the <B>i</B>nner man, the ear, an <B>o</B>utward activity.  The "wise" and the "discerning" are the same person by two different descriptions.  His <B>i</B>nner man is geared to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>process </I></FONT>knowledge.  His <B>o</B>utward man is processed to <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>pick up on</I></FONT> knowledge.  So he works as a harmonious knowledge center.  He both retrieves and stores valuable knowledge for essential uses.</div> <div>     The important question here is this:  What is <B>knowledge</B>?  Is our discerning fellow simply a walking trivia encyclopedia, with all kinds of information at his disposal and a ready memory to soak in any new things he hears?  No.</div> <div>     Remember, our theme statement of the whole book was laid out in terms of knowledge:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 1:7</FONT>  The fear of Jehovah <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I> </FONT>the beginning of <U>knowledge</U></div> <div>  </div> <div>     Whatever bad rap has been laid on knowledge in our day, we are certainly creatures who need to know.  The treating of knowledge as an end in itself is, ironically, <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>not </I></FONT>true knowledge.  The real knowledge of which Solomon speaks is not <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>dis</I></FONT>connected, but rather intimately <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>connected </I></FONT>to all life and all that matters.  True knowledge is life-changing.  True knowledge begins with God (see verse above) and finds its highest fulfillment in continuing to know Him better, a pursuit which will, happily, take all eternity.</div> <div>     Concerning the "acquiring" of knowledge, wisdom itself spoke in Proverbs 8 concerning this:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 8:8, 9</FONT>  All the words of my mouth <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>are</I> </FONT>in righteousness; nothing twisted or perverse <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I> </FONT>in them.  They <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>are</I> </FONT>all plain to him who understands, and right to <U>those who</U> <U>find knowledge</U>. </div> <bR> <div>     So knowledge is a gateway acquisition; procure it and you are qualified to receive much more.</div> <div>     But it is not simply a matter of doing a lot of reading:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 15:2</FONT>  The tongue of the wise <U>uses</U> <U>knowledge</U> <U>rightly</U></div> <bR> <div>     We would probably say that knowledge is as much an <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>art </I></FONT>as it is a <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>science</I></FONT>.  But the art does not impinge on the accuracy of the science, nor does the science restrict the intuitive reach and personality of the art.  In other words, knowledge is human.  It is human wherein Man recovers God's image.  Man was meant to know deeply and emotionally, but that knowledge was never supposed to contradict factuality or reality.  </div> <div>     In our day, there is a generally accepted canyon between knowledge and feeling.  This canyon is only possible if knowledge or feeling is ultimate, or if neither is ultimate.  Without God to center things, man has to make kooky and injurious choices to justify his existence or go without justification at all.  But reality always come back and tells on us.  Neither knowledge nor feeling can be ultimate, because man cannot be ultimate.  As Paul puts human knowledge in its proper context:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Gal 4:9</FONT>  But now that you have come to <U>know</U> God, or <U>rather</U> to <U>be known by</U> <U>God</U> ...</div> <bR> <div>     So the discerning man's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>heart </I></FONT>recognizes and takes knowledge in.  Any true knowledge he learns will fit in with the rest of knowledge.  The Bible is basic and eternal knowledge.  Onto this knowledge we add explanatory and applicatory statements that are consistent with Biblical truth.  The Christian life should be a continuous acquisition of both kinds of knowledge, according to Solomon.</div> <div>     The wise man's <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>ear </I></FONT>is tuned as a receiver to recognize truth so as to take it in.  He hears either direct truth statements or those statements that will help him refine his understanding of the truth.  Oftentimes these will be statements that directly challenge his present understanding of things in general or of some particular in his scheme.</div> <div>     Note:  No one can escape having a scheme, a sytem of thought.  Everyone has some means by which he puts his knowledge together.  It may be a poor mechanism; it may even purposely leave gaping holes, insisting that God meant us to be ignorant or inconsistent; but if <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>that </I></FONT>is someone's God, that will determine his system of thought.</div> <div>     Let us be those who love knowledge as that which is given by God to connect us to Him.  Let us seek that knowledge in all we do.  Let us seek to find the connections between God's revealed knowledge and the world, our lives, and all that is in them.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_28_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="472" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#CCCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:16</div> <div> <B>A man's gift makes room for him, </B></div> <div> <B>and guides him into the presence of important </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>men</B></I></FONT><B>. </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Makes room" is from a word meaning "to broaden", usually translated, "enlarge".</div> <div>     "Into the presence of" is literally "to the face of".</div> <div>     "Important" is from a common Hebrew word for "big, large, great", used in a wide variety of applications.</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">A man's gift</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Opens a way for him</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Leads him before significant figures</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Here is further teaching on a <B>gift</B>, though this is the first time Solomon has used this particular word.  This is simply a noun form of the most common Hebrew word for "give."  The other times Solomon has spoken about gifts, we had to discern whether he was necessarily talking about bribes.  Most commentators don't carry that concern into this verse; however, Solomon seems, once again, to be making a simple <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" >observation</FONT>.  He is not commenting on whether the practice is right or wrong.  He is just saying, in effect, if you want to know how the world works, this is something you need to learn.  You may need access to an authority figure one day:  here's how you do it.  You may have a competitor who could beat you to the punch by access to an influential person.  With this wider perspective on how the 'little guy' gets noticed in the big, wide world, we can operate both with savvy and wisdom (if we can make such a distinction).</div> <div>     The first line of the proverb shows that it is not merely officials who are favorably influenced by gifts, but anyone.  The second line affirms that gifts influence everyone <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>all the way up</I></FONT> to governing officials.</div> <div>     So what is the bottom-line, crucial information given us in today's proverb?  That nobody is immune to a gift.  A present is welcomed by anyone.  A nice gift makes a good impression on people high and low.  Of course, a well-chosen gift is preferable, but just the thought of getting a present is usually warming to its receiver.</div> <div>     Alright, so let's go one level deeper.  What more does a gift say?  It says two very vital things.</div> <div>    1)  The <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>giver </I></FONT>is a generous soul.  He does not hoard all his resources for self and family, nor even for friends and associates (by the way, yes, we should be showing our appreciation to loved ones through gifts: anything really- a note, some personal memento passed on ...);</div> <div>    2)  The <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>receiver </I></FONT>is thought of as a real person, not just "that no-name official", or the guy who works in the next cubicle.  Of course, if the official receives the same gift everywhere he goes as a sort of automatic courtesy, Solomon's suggestion would probably be to show some thought and individuality in your gift (not necessarily bypassing any customary rites).  This would treat the official like a real person, an affirmation an executive needs (whether he'll admit it or not).  </div> <div>     It would show our peer that we regard him warmly, not merely formally.  It is amazing how disarming a gift can be.  A gift will often uncover a latent sense of suspicion you had held toward the giver, realized now that it is melting away.</div> <bR> <div>     Solomon is not necessarily suggesting that a present to an official is always the means to handle our interactions with him.  Other times he tells us to just be still (Eccl. 10:4).  Also, he is not telling us that a gift does the whole job.  The gift merely "makes room"; it opens the door.</div> <div>     A generally benevolent and giving spirit is good evidence of someone who has received a gracious gift from on high.  Jesus said:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Matt 10:8</FONT>  "... <U>Freely</U> you have <U>received</U>, freely <U>give</U>. </div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *********************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_29"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="466" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#66FFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:17</div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>The first  </B></FONT><I><B>person</B></I><I><B> </B></I><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#330000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>making</B><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>his contention </B></FONT><I><B>seems</B></I><B> </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" ><B>just. </B></FONT></div> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#808080" FACE="Verdana" ><I><B>Then </B></I></FONT><B>his neighbor comes and questions him. </B><B> </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Just" is the first word in the verse.  </div> <div>     "Seems", as you can see, is supplied, but the effect may be greater if we let the supplied word be the more expected "is"; or simply, "Just- the first one who pleads his case."  The abruptness of the second part jumps in, "His neighbor comes and questions him."  "Then", as you can also see, is also supplied.</div> <div>     "Making" is used for the literal "in".</div> <div>     "Questions" is literally "penetrates".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Compared<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The case made by whoever argues first</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The second fellow's searching questions</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Is just <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Lucida Sans Unicode" ><I>to all who hear him</I></FONT></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Puts his seeming righteousness in a different light</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     Solomon seems to have seen the very universal connection between the Ninth Commandment and daily life.  As final judge in many trial cases in Israel, he saw how many peculiarities of the courtroom commonly reflected men's normal interactions.  This may be the reason for his many proverbs that are rather transparent comments on "You shall not bear false witness."  The language of the Command is courtroom language, the language of taking evidence in a case.  So Solomon seems to be emphasizing, "That's right.  Life itself is one big courtroom.  Everything you say puts you on trial and makes you part of one big, ongoing trial."  So Solomon, like David before him, saw himself as a follower and expositor of Moses' Law.  This is a good and relevant thing for us in whose hearts the Law is written:</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Georgia" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#008080" FACE="Eurostile" >Heb 10:16</FONT>  "This <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is</I> </FONT>the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put <U>My Laws</U> <U>into their hearts</U>, and in their minds I will write them," </div> <bR> <div>     So may our proverb, as Divine commentary on the Law, settle in our hearts as well.</div> <bR> <div>     Consider, then, the situation of the proverb.  One man makes a case about something in front of one or more neighbors.  It is not in a courtroom, just sitting around a table in a home or a public place.  He is not making a passionate case, just stating it, maybe even off-handedly.  Everyone accepts his word for truth.</div> <div>     Now fast forward to some time later; or it could be the next person at the table who speaks.  Someone else asks a question or two that makes the fellow's previously credible story a bit suspicious.  The righteousness that had been granted him for the sake of his argument or narration is now turned inside out!</div> <div>     And there is the simple story of the verse.</div> <div>     What are the lessons from it, then?</div> <div>    1)  People are naturally good liars.  The Ninth Commandment is in negative form, "You shall not," because lying witness is the kind we naturally give.  Therefore, anyone who is basically truthful is going against his inborn nature.  The Law in our hearts is quite essential to be thoroughly truthful.</div> <div>    2)  People tend to believe sincere lies.  Something of the liar in <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>your </I></FONT>ear tends to agree with the liar coming out of <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Times New Roman" ><I>my </I></FONT>mouth.  Our gullibility is a definite flaw in our nature.  Thank God for someone who 'rocks the boat' by throwing unpleasant light on a shady subject.</div> <div>    3)  Men believe in themselves and therefore are convincing speakers.  Once we have told a lie, we tend to believe it ourselves.  We try to make reality conform to the lie.  We naturally believe the best about ourselves, so our powers of persuasion are bent into the words that justify us- even though they're lying words.</div> <div>    4)  Facts are still facts, and God is in control.  He mercifully sees to it that shaded 'facts' are angled more toward the sun.  Sometimes it only takes the sun's gradual movement through the sky to eventually accomplish this.  </div> <div>     By keeping lies from thoroughly taking hold, God does us a great mercy.  This is part of God's common grace by which He keeps sin from fully running its natural course.  Apparently, at the end He will withdraw this mercy and let man be man and finally stand up for himself.  The grand lies described at age's end (Rev. 13, etc.) testify to what we are being spared presently by God's unveiling mercy.</div> <div>     Christians should definitely be vehicles of God's unveiling of lies.  </div> <div>     We should 'take the log' of lies out of our own eye first, so we can 'see clearly to remove the sliver' of lies out of the eye of another.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ****************************************************************</div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="june_30"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="386" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFCCFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 78 ><NOBR><div> Proverbs 18:18</div> <div> <B>The lot puts arguments to rest, </B></div> <div> <B>and keeps the mighty apart. </B><B> </B></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> <div> <B><U>Words of the Verse</U></B><B>:</B></div> <bR> <div>     "Keeps the mighty apart" is literally "separates between the mighty".</div> <div>     </div> <div> <B><U>Analysis of the Verse</U></B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> Being Considered<FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="GoudyOlSt BT" >:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">The lot</div> <bR> <div> Descriptions:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Lays contentions to rest</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Holds the mighty apart</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Teaching of the Verse</U></B>:</div> <bR> <div>     It is important to remember what Solomon has already said about the lot in 16:33,</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#660033" FACE="Eurostile" >Prov 16:33</FONT>  The lot is cast into the center, but all its judgment <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#555555" FACE="Eurostile" ><I>is </I></FONT>from Jehovah. </div> <bR> <div>     The lot was some means of determining a matter by chance, like a coin toss or drawing the short straw.  As mentioned in the previous commentary, it is legitimate to use a coin toss to decide a matter that cannot be decided on available information.  If we do so in the spirit of the lot, however, we must accept the decision as God's.</div> <div>     Today we add this:  that the lot is a fine way to stop a quarrel.  A quarrel that pits two wills for two different outcomes against one another can be settled in a 'higher court' by casting lots.  As long as both parties agree that this is a means of God settling the dispute, casting the lot (flipping a coin) will have great finality.  </div> <div>     On the practical side, if parties decide to actually do this, each needs to prepare himself emotionally in case he loses the decision.  This emotional preparation is implicit if God is truly recognized as the arbiter.  Unfortunately, man's foolishness knows no bounds, and it is likely that someone who agrees to settle 'by lots' will feel the matter is still unresolved if the lot is cast in favor of his contender.  </div> <div>     In other words, he already knows in his own mind that he is in the right, which is why he agrees to cast lots.  That way, God can show everyone else that he is indeed right.  When he comes up 'wrong', then, he is quite sure that some trick robbed him of his justice, and he claims the verdict was not God's.  Or, worse, his disappointment is cast in the mold of hatred toward his opponent, who probably pulled some kind of mumbo-jumbo to get God on his side.  He might even become Cain and decide that the way to be right is to be rid of the fellow who was falsely dubbed right.</div> <bR> <div>     Solomon says that lots can "separate the mighty."  Even very important and powerful people, even kings of opposing armies, can be kept from each others' throats by the lot.  Again, as long as there is agreement between them that the lot is a final higher court with no appeal afterwards, the lot is a wise choice.</div> <bR> <div>     Three kings are set to go to war over a disputed piece of land.  They have a last-minute parley.  Let's say one is Israeli, one is Philistine, and one is from some godless tribe.  They all agree that much needless blood will be spilled in every army should they go to war.  Probably all three have some means of leaving a matter to 'chance'.  If each suspected the others' chosen means, they could even invent a means by objects at hand.  "Let us each pick a leaf from this bush and place them side by side facing this active ant pile.  The first leaf with an ant to crawl upon it has been chosen as owner of the disputed land."  The Israelite will say Jehovah made the decision, the Philistine would believe Dagon made the decision, and the godless pagan will say that chance chose it, the same as chance would have chosen the winner of the war.  As long as all three will honor the decision, however made, it is secure.  </div> <div>     Of course, only the Israelite is right about the source of the decision, but even if the dispute had been between fellow Philistines, Jehovah would still have been the ultimate decider, since He knows and determines all things.</div> <div>     Note,though, that God is not always 'favoring' the winner of these kinds of decisions.  The king who won the land dispute may be the unhappy protector of it a year from now when the huge empire to the east sets its greedy eye on the land.</div> <div>     So be willing to use lots if you approach them correctly.  </div> <div>     Remember, when known factors should decide the case, lots are not legitimate for your individual use.</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> *****************************************************************</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>