Today, I am reading and commenting on Proverbs 29-31.

Today the passage, once more, gives many pieces of advice on different subjects.  However, one theme which the writer keeps coming back to is the way that fools rage while the wise remain calm.  I will remind the reader that the translators’ notes from early in the Book of Proverbs pointed out that the word translated as “fool” throughout the book implies someone who is morally deficient.  Both parts of that meaning are relevant when the writer speaks of those who give in to rage.  Allowing rage to control your behavior will not bring about good ends, for you or for others, but some people will intentionally give voice to rage in order to manipulate others.  On the other hand the wise see the benefits to be had by all if everyone remains calm, even while disagreeing, perhaps, especially while disagreeing.  I think of videos I have watched recently of people angrily jumping from one argument to another when the person with whom they are debating has a reasoned reply to one of their arguments.  Some of them are just too busy being angry to listen to what others have to say, while some use the anger and chaos to keep those they disagree with from making a point and possibly convincing someone.  If you care about convincing others you will choose the wise path and remain calm.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 29-31.

I do not exactly have a theme I want to write about today, but there are a few things written here that I want to pull out to highlight.  The writer tells us that the righteous detest those who are dishonest while the wicked detest the upright.  When we feel hostility towards those with whom we disagree, we need to make sure that our hostility does not result from feeling called out by them.  We must strive to make sure that we are honest in our attempts to change their minds.  As we debate others let us strive to base our arguments on what God has said, because God’s words are flawless.  Let us rely on His word, but make sure that we do not put our words into His mouth.  If we ask Him, and trust Him, God will keep us honest, will keep us from falsehoods and lies.  The writer then ties the idea that we should seek enough wealth to meet our worldly needs, but not so much that we think we do not need God.  As we seek to allow God to keep us honest we should also seek to depend on Him for our material needs.  And as we seek to depend upon Him for our material needs we should depend upon Him to keep us honest.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 29-31.

Today’s passage wraps up the Book of Proverbs with more single verse proverbs followed by the Sayings of Agur and the Sayings of King Lemuel, perhaps the last bit about a wife of noble character is part of the Sayings of King Lemuel, or perhaps it is a separate piece of its own.  Both the individual proverbs and the Sayings of Agur contain a warning against arrogance and pride.  While the passage gives general warnings that being proud will lead to your downfall, the passage also warns against bragging on yourself.  The writer tells us that we should not praise ourselves, rather we should let others honor us based on their own observations.  The writer contrasts the benefits of being humble against the dangers of being arrogant.

However, I was truly struck by this proverb for an explanation of our society today:

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

I think this refers more to acknowledging the revelations which God has already made than it does to receiving new revelations from God.  I believe we are seeing that around us today.  People refuse to acknowledge that God has revealed Himself, or refuse to accept what He has revealed about Himself, so that they can justify doing what they please.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 29-31.

I titled my blog on this passage last year, “Mockers Encourage Fools To Riot.”  Today I am going to focus on a related theme in this passage.  Which is the connection between sinfulness and the downfall of a nation.  One could easily make the mistake of thinking the theme was that sinful rulers lead to the downfall of a nation from sayings such as there three:

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice;
    when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

By justice a king gives a country stability,
    but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.

If a ruler listens to lies,
    all his officials become wicked.

But that would miss the point.  In the second one, the translator notes indicate that it might say “those who give bribes tear it down.”  I suspect that ambiguity is intentional because the more government officials seek bribes, the more people give them AND the more people offer bribes the more public officials seek them.  However, the following saying causes me to see the connection between the rejection of God’s moral law and the sinfulness of those in positions of government authority.

Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
    but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.

We can easily read the part where it says “Where there is no revelation…” to refer to times when God is not causing new Scripture to be written, or perhaps not Scripture but Inspired Revelation just shy of Scripture.  But I think it means when Christians fail to stand up for God’s truth.  When the leaders of the Church fail to heed the first part of this next saying:

The righteous detest the dishonest;
    the wicked detest the upright.

When we try to disguise our disdain for dishonesty in the name of “tolerance” and “love”, we do great disservice to our neighbors.  All too often Christians fail to show hostility to dishonesty and wicked behavior in order to not be hated by the wicked.  That only works if we actually stop being righteous, for, as this saying tells us, the wicked detest the upright.  So, let us heed wisdom’s instruction and confront the wickedness we see around us.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Proverbs 29-31.

I want to focus on three themes I find in today’s passage.  The first two I believe reflect on what we see going on around us today  And are closely related.   I have chosen four proverbs to illustrate these two themes.  The writer warns us that mockers stir people up and that fools fight and riot when they get angry, but that the wise seek to reduce tensions and bring about calm.

Mockers stir up a city,
    but the wise turn away anger.

Fools give full vent to their rage,
    but the wise bring calm in the end.

The writer also gives us insight into government figures who encourage the mockers and the fools.  Some do so because they have no concern for the destruction such things cause as long as they get their bribes and other benefits of corruption.  In fact, they will encourage such things in order to increase their benefits and power.  Others do so because they have listened to lies so long that they cannot distinguish lies from truth.

By justice a king gives a country stability,
    but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.

If a ruler listens to lies,
    all his officials become wicked.

I am not going to quote specific proverbs for the final theme: Without discipline, order falls apart.  This has two aspects.  One must live a disciplined life and society must discipline those who do discipline themselves.

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

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on Proverbs 29-31.

The final three chapters of the Book of Proverbs consists of the conclusion of the proverbs of Solomon collected by King Hezekiah, the sayings of Agur (about whom we know nothing aside from these sayings, and who might not be an actual person), and the sayings of King Lemuel (about whom we also know nothing other than what is said here).

In the group of collected proverbs attributed to Solomon, there is a theme that tells us that the stability and well-being of a society and nation depends upon the people, and their government, being godly, righteous, and just.  When a society and/or its government become dominated by the wicked, justice disappears and the society will become unstable and fall.