Tag Archives: Proverbs 9:7-8

February 13, 2015 Bible Study — How To Share the Gospel

For today, One Year Bible Online links here.

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Proverbs 9:7-8

    If you call out the mockers for their disrespect or rebuke the wicked for their evil behavior, they will not change their behavior. They will merely insult you or attack you in turn. However, when you point out to the wise where they have done wrong, they will change their behavior and love you for the concern you have shown. I have observed this time and again. The question I need to ask myself, do I take correction to heart and change my behavior? Or am I sure that those who tell me I did wrong are mistaken?

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Psalm 34:1-10

    This psalm gives a wonderful template for sharing the Gospel:

  • Praise God, all of the time,
  • Boast only about what Him.
  • Talk about the wonderful, amazing things God has done
  • Tell those around you how God has answered your prayers
  • Invite them to try it for themselves
  • That last is so important. All too often I have found myself trying to convince someone of the truth of the Gospel by rational arguments when what I should have done was invite them to check out God’s promises for themselves. I myself spent many years trying to find proof that God existed. It was only when I finally decided that I would assume He was real and see how things worked from there that I discovered the proof of His existence.
        When you want to introduce someone to a good food they have never tasted the only way to truly convince them is to have them actually taste it. In the same way, the only way to truly know the joy of following the Lord is to try it for yourself.

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    Matthew 27:32-66

        Throughout this passage we see references to Psalm 22. In verse 35 there is a reference to the soldiers dicing for his clothes, which matches up to Psalm 22:18. In verse 39-44 Jesus is mocked by various people. This matches up to Psalm 22:6-8. Then in verse 46 Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” This is a direct quote of Psalm 22:1.
        A key element to understanding this passage, and what Jesus meant by crying out that final line, is to be aware that it was a tradition that quoting the first line from Scripture was considered the same as quoting the entire passage. So, when Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?”, He was not saying that God had abandoned Him. Rather, He was expressing both the despair and hope which He felt at that moment.

    Despair:
    My life is poured out like water,
    and all my bones are out of joint.
    My heart is like wax,
    melting within me.

    Hope:
    For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
    He has not turned his back on them,
    but has listened to their cries for help.

    I am convinced that reading Psalm 22 shows us what Jesus was feeling as He hung upon the cross. He felt deep despair, yet He had a hope which was almost joyous. When we face trials in this life we should share Jesus’ confidence in God’s final victory.

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    Exodus 35:10-36:38

        After Moses had given out the very specific instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, he invited those who were gifted craftsmen to contribute the pieces that were needed to complete the construction. As the materials began to come in, Moses appointed two men to be in charge of putting it all together, men who had been given skills by God which made them qualified for this position. As these men, and those they recruited to help them, began their work the people continued to donate materials. Finally, the men had to go to Moses and ask him to tell the people to stop bringing them more materials. Isn’t this where we should be in the Church today? Where the leaders need to tell us to slow down on our donations to help the poor because they cannot distribute it as fast as we are donating it?

February 13, 2014 Bible Study — This Man Truly Was the Son of God

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. In order to make that possible I read the passages and write my thoughts a day, or more. in advance. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.

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Proverbs 9:7-8

     If you attempt to correct the mistakes of mockers or the wicked, you will be insulted and possibly even injured. On the other hand when you offer correction to the mistakes of the wise, you will make a friend. How do you react when people correct your mistakes? Are you grateful for the correction, or do you revile them?

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Psalm 34:1-10

     This psalm is wonderful, and a challenge. I strive to praise the Lord all of the time. I wish to be constantly telling others of the wonders He has done for me, but I do not always do so. The psalm tells me how to get better at it, get together with others who have experienced the wonders of God and want to talk about it. The Lord listened to my prayers and rescued me from my troubles. The psalmist writes, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” I will echo that idea. If you are facing problems and troubles (or even if you aren’t), try believing in God, or at least, live as if you believe in Him. You will see a wonderful difference in your life. It will not be long until you really do believe, and not just believe, you will know.

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Matthew 27:32-66

     Usually when I read this passage, I am struck by the fact that, in the throes of the agony of crucifixion, Jesus praised God by quoting Psalm 22. Matthew makes a very strong effort to make sure that his intended target, who would have been intimately familiar with Jewish Scripture, cannot miss it. He points out the soldiers dicing for Jesus garments(Psalm 22:18). He points out the religious leaders saying, “He trusted God, let God rescue Him.”(Psalm 22:8) And of course, Jesus Himself crying out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Psalm 22:1) However, that is not the part that speaks to me today.
     What speaks to me today is the reaction of the Roman soldiers who oversaw the crucifixion. When they saw how Jesus faced death, a terrible, horrible death, and the events which followed His death, they could not help but exclaim, “This man truly was the Son of God.” Matthew points out all the fulfillment of signs from Scripture that were fulfilled at Jesus’ crucifixion, yet it was not the people who knew the Scripture forward and backward who saw the hand of God. No, it was the pagan oppressors, the Roman soldiers who saw God’s wondrous power in Jesus’ death. Do we see God’s power in the world around us? Do we see how God is working His wondrous plan in the suffering of those who love Him? Are we willing to suffer in order for others to experience God’s wondrous love?

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Exodus 35:10-36:38

     Moses told the people what materials were needed to build the Tabernacle. The people responded by gathering their gold and jewels, their silver and bronze objects. They gave it all to the Lord. Those who had the skill spun thread and prepared fine linen. They gathered all of the fine materials that were needed to build the Tent of Meeting. The passage tells us that “all whose hearts were willing” came and presented goods for the Tabernacle. Moses appointed the craftsmen God had selected to oversee the construction of the Tabernacle and they began to work. But the gifts from the people did not stop. They continued to give gold, silver, bronze, jewels, thread, fine linen, fine wood. Until finally, the craftsmen came to Moses and told him that they had all of the materials they could use. Are we like that? Are our hearts willing to give to God’s cause to the extent that the workers have to tell us to stop?

February 13, 2013 Bible Study — Abandoned By God?

     I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

Dazed and confused (mostly just lack of sleep)
Dazed and confused (mostly just lack of sleep)

Exodus 35:10-36:38

     When Moses finished telling the people what God required for building the Tabernacle, God moved many of them to donate what was needed for the construction. They donated gold, silver and bronze objects to be melted down to be used in the construction. They donated thread, yarn and fabric. They brought so much that when the craftsmen began work they had to come to Moses and ask him to tell the people to stop bringing such goods as they had all they needed. Do I respond to the needs of the Church with as much enthusiasm?

Bringing in more firewood
Bringing in more firewood

Matthew 27:32-66

     As they took Jesus out to be crucified, they forced Simon the Cyrene to carry His cross. This suggests that Jesus has been so weakened by His flogging that He was unable to carry the cross Himself. When they got to the place of crucifixion, Jesus was offered wine mixed with “gall”, which Jesus refused to drink once He had tasted it. I did a bit of internet searching to learn something about this drink Jesus was offered. According to several sources, the drink Jesus was offered here was either an analgesic (something to reduce the pain and suffering of the crucifixion experience) or poison (in order to end His life sooner and thus reduce the pain and suffering). In either case, the drink was designed to ease the suffering He would experience on the cross, Jesus refused to drink it. He refused to take the easy way out.
     As Jesus hung on the cross, many people mocked Him. They expressed that if He was truly the Son of God, He should demonstrate it by coming down off of the cross. Even the religious leaders of the day gathered around to mock Him. They proclaimed that if He came down off of the cross, they would believe in Him. Even those crucified alongside Him insulted Him. When I write this, it reminds me of today’s passage from Proverbs (you can go ahead and skip down and read that now if you like), which talks about how if you rebuke a mocker they will insult you. The other thing I thought of when I read this was the people I have met who reject Christianity. Many of them will say, “If such and such would happen, I would believe.” However, if what they asked for happens, they always have an excuse for why it doesn’t really show that God exists.
     Matthew tells us that from noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the land. At three, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is a direct quote from the beginning of Psalm 22. According to several sources I have read, it was first century rabbinical tradition that quoting the first phrase of a passage was equivalent to quoting the entire passage. That would mean that when Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” He was referencing the entirety of Psalm 22. Psalm 22 is a psalm both of despair at abandonment and of confidence that God will save. The next line of the psalm is “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Which sounds as absolutely forlorn as this cry from Jesus is traditionally interpreted. However, further down the psalmist says,

“For he has not despised or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help.”

Which expresses a confidence that God will be with Him, even in this time of trial when God seems so far away. It is my belief that even when He felt completely abandoned by the Father, Jesus was proclaiming His faith that He was following God’s will and that God would not abandon Him. No matter how alone and abandoned we may feel, is it possible that we are feeling more alone and abandoned than Jesus did at that moment? Yet Jesus knew, even at that moment, at the lowest moment of His life, that God would not abandon Him. We can know the same thing. God will listen to our cry for help and will deliver us.
     At the moment of Jesus’ death there was a massive earthquake, such that the Roman soldiers guarding the crucifixion were terrified. They recognized that such signs suggested that Jesus was someone special and were frightened as the repercussions from being complicit in His death. After His death, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus’ body. Pilate granted that permission.
     The final part of today’s passage shows that the religious leaders had been listening to Jesus (perhaps in some ways more closely than His disciples). They knew He had said that He would rise again after three days. So they went to Pilate and requested a guard be placed upon Jesus’ tomb to ensure that Jesus’ disciples could not steal the body and falsely claim that He had risen. Yet we discover later that Jesus’ disciples did not remember, or perhaps it was just a lack of belief, that Jesus had said that He would die and rise after three days until after His Resurrection. How often do we encounter non-believers who understand what Jesus taught better than we do?

Signs of the cat
Signs of the cat

Psalm 34:1-10

     I will strive to praise the Lord all of the time, not just when I am around those I think agree with my faith. I will boast of no skill and no success. I will boast only of what the Lord has done. I can take no credit for my good fortune, all belongs to God who could readily choose to take that good fortune from me and give it to another. However, I know that if I continue to place my trust in the Lord, He will care for me. I encourage everyone to “test drive” faith in God. They will see that it makes their life better. If you live as if the Bible is true, you will quickly learn that it is.

Fan Fencing
Fan Fencing

Proverbs 9:7-8

     Mockers and the wicked react with scorn and hostility to those who rebuke their misbehavior and/or attempt to correct their poor choices. The wise on the other hand appreciate being corrected when they make poor choices or hurt other’s feelings.