Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 5-8.

While these proverbs address a young man and warn him against an adulterous woman, in today’s society the same message should be heeded by either sex against adulterous members of either sex.  The writer connects such behavior with a lack of discipline and warns that both (adulterous behavior and lack of discipline) will lead one to destruction.  Instead of allowing ourselves to become involved with the adulterous, let us embrace wisdom.  Wisdom will teach us to avoid becoming troublemakers and villains.  Further it teaches us to avoid such people.  But for me, the greatest part of these comes in chapter 8 where the writer tells us that wisdom is not only there for those who seek it, but is calling out to the simple, inviting them to join her (wisdom), prudence, knowledge, and discretion.  The writer goes on to tell us that wisdom abhors and flees from those who are proud and arrogant, or who practice evil behavior or perverse speech.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 1-4.

The words contained in the Book of Proverbs are useful for gaining wisdom and understanding.  They will give insight to those who heed them.  They are words of prudence and discretion for those who have yet to acquire either while adding learning and guidance to those who are already wise.  Then the writer tells us the first building block of wisdom: Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (or as other translations put it, understanding).  One does not truly begin to acquire wisdom until one begins to fear God.  But perhaps one of the greatest insights one can get comes from the translators notes on verse 7 in chapter 1: the word translated “fool” here denotes a person who is morally deficient.  Which shows us that foolishness and moral deficiency are interchangeable.  Those who are morally deficient are foolish and those who are foolish are morally deficient.  Or to put it another way, no matter how simple minded or naive someone may be, if they are morally upright they will not be foolish.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.