Year 8, Day 326: 1 Timothy 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I love what 1 Timothy 6 has to offer.  It begins with a quick discussion about bondservants who are under Christian masters.  Note that Paul tells them to serve even more hard and not become bitter.  Clearly Paul is sending a message that it is far more important for us to do the work well that is set in front of us than get hung up on the fairness and equity in life. 

The reality is that life will never be fair.  There will always be someone who has to work harder than me and not get as much as I do; there will be others who work less hard than I do and who get more.  What’s important isn’t any of that.  What’s important is that I make the best of the opportunity that is in front of me regardless of whether it is an easy or a tough situation.

Then Paul turns back again to a discussion about staying the course in faith.  I always feel nervousness when I read through passages like this because I tend to look for things that are broken and fix them rather than play the traditional safe route.  I tend to be a boat-rocker who thinks outside of the box instead of a person who looks nostalgically at the awesomeness of what is.  So I hear Paul’s words about sticking to truth and sound doctrine and I wonder what it looks like to go astray.  It’s easier to stick with the comfortable tradition, but it isn’t in me to not always be looking for what could get even better.

This is when I remind myself that sound doctrine is different than tradition and history.  When Jesus came and taught, He rocked quite a few boats and made a good number of people mad.  He stood up for righteousness, not tradition.  I’m not saying that we are wrong if we aren’t rocking the boat.  What I am saying is that our teaching should be focused on Christ.  If that rocks the boat, then so be it.

As we move to the end of this passage, I think we get to the crux of the issue for Paul and Timothy’s context.  We shouldn’t be loves of money.  The love of money is the root of all evil.  It is for this love of money that people wander away from the truth.  There are people who are changing their teaching so that they make people happy by letting them hear what they want to hear.  When people hear what they want to hear, they are happy and they tend to be more supportive and generous.  What Paul is concerned about is that people are teaching for the audience rather than for the truth.

In the end, we should be pursuing righteousness.  We should fight the good fight.  When we stand before God, it won’t matter how popular we are.  It won’t matter how many friends we made along the way.  Like I said in the very beginning, what will matter is if we made the best out of the situation that God has given us.  Did we do the right thing and preach truth in every circumstance?  That’s what will cause God to say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” 

Of course we are saved through God’s grace and not through our works.  That being said, I still want to be a part of doing the will of the Father.  I can’t save myself, only God can do that.  I can focus on doing what I can do in looking for where God is at work and joining Him there.

<><

Year 8, Day 325: 1 Timothy 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In many respects, being a part of the church should be the easiest and most natural thing in the world.  After all, being a part of the church should be no harder than participating in the best thing.  Being a part of the church shouldn’t be any harder than finding where God is at work and joining up with that.

As an example, Paul tells Timothy to care for the widows.  We should be concerned for those people who do not have a means to support themselves or have a voice in the community.  Caring for such people should be a natural extension of what it means to be the body of Christ.

As another example, caring for those in our midst who are doing so much ministry that they don’t have the time to care for their own needs.  If someone is spending themselves caring for others, shouldn’t we want to care for them?  Shouldn’t the example of the selfless ministry inspire us to participate in selfless ministry of our own?

Unfortunately, the reality is that belonging to a community of believers is no easier than belonging to any other organization of human beings.  Paul warns Timothy about widows who will look to take advantage of being cared for by becoming gossips and lazy.  There will always be people who bring charges through their own jealousy or envy against those in leadership, which is why Paul recommends to Timothy that such charges need to be sustained by multiple witnesses.

In the end, Paul simply is encouraging Timothy to do what makes sense to do within God’s will.  Care for people.  Love people.  Show them grace and mercy.  Do the things that make sense.  Do the things of which Jesus would approve.  However, don’t be naïve.  Understand that even in the church people will take advantage.  Do ministry that makes sense, but don’t set up circumstances for people to take advantage and walk into sinful habits.

<><

Year 8, Day 324: 1 Timothy 3-4

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The two chapters for today are all about sensibility in leadership.  Paul sends these words as guidance to the fledgling church.  He also sends these words as guidance to the young Timothy.

Overseers – what some people call bishops – should have a level head about them.  They shouldn’t be tempted by alcohol.  They should be self-controlled.  They should be in a monogamous relationship.  They should be respectable and hospitable.  In other words, they should be able to tend to the matters of their life sensibly.  People should know what to expect from them and they should know that they cannot be bought or tempted into bad decisions.

Likewise, deacons should be level-headed as well. They should be able to make sound decisions.  They should also be respectable and reliable.

As I read through the paragraph for deacons, however, I noticed that the paragraph on deacons specifically calls out that they should keep to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.  Looking back, I realized that they paragraph for overseers actually doesn’t say anything about spiritual matters (other than teaching, but that’s a very generic reference).  It could be that Paul is making an assumption that we all know what overseers do; it could also be that overseers are for the more practical areas of leadership while the deacons have a more spiritual bent.

Moving into chapter 4, Paul gives more advice to Timothy.  Note that Paul advises Timothy to stay strong in his faith and to not be led astray by more legalistic people.  Paul encourages him to be an example for others.  In this light, he encourages him to not be ashamed of his youth as well as to not neglect his gift.  In short, Paul is advising Timothy of the same things that he has spoken about for overseers and deacons.  Timothy needs to be level-headed and lead by example.  He needs to practice what the Gospel that they preach.

<><

Year 8, Day 323: 1 Timothy 1-2

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The book of Timothy is a portion of a letter sent from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, one of the people that Paul has been mentoring.  Timothy joins Paul in the town of Lystra during Paul’s second visit to the city (Acts 16).  During Paul’s first visit to the city, he was taken out of the city, stoned, and left for dead (Acts 14).  Timothy either saw Paul’s willingness to die for the faith firsthand or at the very least heard about it through people who saw it with their own eyes.

In the letter to Timothy, Paul is very concerned that Timothy pay attention to people and their teaching.  Paul wants to make sure that the teaching that is happening is genuine theology, based on a true Gospel.  In other words, salvation comes solely through Jesus Christ.  We cannot earn our way into salvation.  We do not gain salvation by acting a certain way.  Jesus Christ came to save sinners.  If we could save ourselves, then Jesus did not need to come.

The kind of thinking that Paul fears is insipid to humanity.  We want to believe that genuine faith is not just capable of being imitated but it is capable of being duplicated.  It is this step into duplication that we lose true perspective.  When we imitate others, we look for what we value and then assimilate it into our own life in a way that is genuine to ourselves.  When we simply duplicate, we act a certain way as a copy rather than bringing it into our life because it is genuine.

As an example, how many people replace what should be a genuine relationship with God with a strict observance of Sunday church attendance.  Instead of finding ways to genuinely connect with God, they do their duty and go to church regularly without considering the meaning behind it.  Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with attending worship regularly.  The point is that it should be done for the right reason, not simply in a vain attempt to duplicate what holiness looks like.

As another example, how many people act differently when they are around people of faith than they do when they are by themselves or in a non-religious crowd.  In that sense, isn’t the behavior among the righteous a simple shell of duplication?  If that was who the person truly was, would they behave that way all the time instead of just in certain circumstances?

Paul’s point in this chapter is that we need to promote genuine faith and not behavior through legal mandates.  We should do things because Christ saved us and changed us rather than putting on an external shell in an attempt to look righteous.  As His followers, we should be about genuine imitation rather than forcing behavior.  Jesus died for sinners so that we might become more like Him.  Our behavior follows our salvation.

Having said all of this, I find it interesting to turn back to Acts 16.  When Paul begins to mentor Timothy, Paul has him circumcised.  Look at the reason.  Paul doesn’t have Timothy circumcised because Timothy needs to be.  Paul doesn’t do it because he believes Timothy can’t be saved without it.  Paul has Timothy circumcised because of the Jewish crowd with whom Timothy will come into contact.  The act of circumcision is for the sake of ministry, not some blind obedience of the Law in order to make the outward façade appear to be faithful.  Paul doesn’t do this for Timothy’s sake at all!  Paul does the act for the sake of those who in their childish faith won’t be able to overcome the fact.

<><

Year 8, Day 322: Proverbs 31

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I find proverbs 31 to be a perfectly fitting end to the book.  In this proverb, we have a pair of passages, one directed about the male and the other directed about the female.

The first passage are words of advice from a queen to her prince (who then became king).  What is the main thrust of the proverb?  Don’t let alcohol spoil your life.  If we dig a bit deeper into the undercurrent of meaning, though, we find a more generic truth.  People need leaders who are level-headed.  People need leaders who will guide them in honesty.  People need leaders who will have access to their faculties and who will be able to find words of wisdom when they are needed.  People need leaders who are role models and icons – people who genuinely practice the morality that they preach.

The second passage is full of words about the strong female leader.  What makes a great female leader?  This is the woman who is confident of her worth.  She knows her assets and is confident that she can do her tasks well.  She works hard, understanding her role in partnering with the husband to have a positive home.  She is also dignified, much like we already spoke about with the male leader.  She is also wise, much like we spoke about with the male leader.

In the end, we get a great glimpse of human leadership.  Both men and women need to be strong in character, wise, grounded, confident, able to listen and give sound counsel.  The different genders may go about it in different manners, but the goals and outcomes are the same.  But then again, it isn’t really a gender thing, either.  One strong woman will lead differently from another equally strong woman just like one strong man will lead differently than another equally strong man.

<><

Year 8, Day 321: Proverbs 30

Theological Commentary: Click Here

This chapter of Proverbs is unlike any other.  The author is different, and that becomes obvious as soon as you read.  The tempo of the words is different.  The formation of the stanzas are different.  The point of the sayings are different.  This is a unique chapter pulled out of a very unique book.

I love where the author starts.  He begins in humility.  He acknowledges that there is a whole host of things that he does not understand. There is much that he cannot comprehend.  I personally feel that the beginning of understanding is always the recognition of that which we don’t know.  The reason I love this idea is because it genuinely blends into what the Bible says is the beginning of wisdom.  The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.  Why do we fear Him?  We fear Him because we realize that we have limitations and then realize that He does not.  We begin the walk of our own understanding when we acknowledge our own lack of understanding; we begin our own fear of the Lord when we recognize He does not suffer from the same lack.

After this, the author moves into a great perspective.  Keep me from lying and falsehood.  In other words, keep me from sin.  Keep me from doing things that I shouldn’t be doing.  Keep me from things that I think will lift me up but in reality they will only end up tearing me down.  That’s a genuinely brilliant thought right there, and I bet that’s a thought that is easy to understand.

The rest of the verse is more brilliant and more complex.  Give me neither poverty nor riches.  That’s a nice middle ground, isn’t it?

Why don’t we want poverty?  If we have poverty, we may begin to doubt the provision of God.  If we have poverty, we might be tempted to steal.  If we are in poverty, it will make it harder to practice what we preach.

Why don’t we want riches?  In a phrase, if I have everything what need do I have of God?  If all of my wants are satisfied, what purpose will my mind find for God in my life?  If I have everything, it is easier to put God out of my life in the first place.

What we actually find in this verses, Proverbs 30:8-9, is a brilliant balance.  We need to have a life that knows the provision of God.  We need a life that has enough to know the provision of God but not so much that we are convinced that the provision of God is really our own provision.

<><

Year 8, Day 320: Proverbs 29

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Reading through this chapter, it is easy to pick up on the theme of community.  It is especially easily to look at the governance of community.  God cares about how communities are managed – or mismanaged.  Leadership is always important to God.

For example, look at verse 7.  A righteous man knows the rights of the poor, but the wicked has no such knowledge.  This proverb is clearly telling those who are righteous to look out for those who will have a harder time defending themselves.  In fact, those who are righteous will stand up for the rights of others because it is the right thing to do.  The wicked, however, only think of themselves. They won’t think of the rights of others.  They won’t think about how their actions impact the others.  They simply lack the knowledge needed to care.

Take a look at verse 14.  If a king judges faithfully over the poor, his throne will be established forever.  I find it interesting that the Bible doesn’t tell us that the king will have his throne established by flattering the powerful and the rich.  After all, the powerful and the rich are looking for their own gain.  They won’t be won by faithfulness, they will take advantage of things like faithfulness and loyalty.  On the other hand, the poor will absolutely respect faithfulness and loyalty.  The poor will support those who look out for them.

The way that this chapter ends is also a great verse.  An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, but one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked. I love this thought.  The Bible is telling us that un-justice and righteousness are diametrically opposed.  One cannot be unjust and still be righteous.  Someone who is unjust makes the life of the righteous harder because the example of the righteous is hidden.  When someone acts unjustly, we are tempted to respond in like kind instead of continuing righteous!  In the same way, the righteous are an abomination to the wicked.  When a righteous person comes by, the actions of the wicked are challenged and put to shame.  It is more difficult to continue in one’s wickedness if an example of righteousness is also around.  The wicked and the righteous truly are an abomination to one another!

<><

Year 8, Day 319: Proverbs 28

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Proverbs 28 brings the challenge.  Take verse 9.  God thinks that the prayers of the person who turns away from the Lord are an abomination.  Naturally, this makes sense.  Why would God listen to a person who has turned away from Him?  Would you listen to a person who made it obvious that they didn’t care about that for which you stand?  Of course not!  The point of this proverb, though, is to make sure that we don’t become that person.  If we want God to listen to us, we need to live in such a manner as to demonstrate that we care about what He has to say.

Verse 13 also brings challenge.  The person who conceals their transgressions won’t prosper, but the person who confesses them with find correction and mercy.  This is contrary to our human nature.  We want to be perfect.  We want to show our best side.  We don’t want our bad choices to show.  But that is not the point of the proverb.  The proverb tells us that in order to know grace and mercy – and the growth that goes with it – we must be open to confession.  We don’t necessarily need to broadcast our flaws to the world, but those who can mentor us and those who we wrong do need to hear our confession.  It is through the humbleness of confession that we know grace the fullest.

I also think verse 23 brings a large challenge.  The person who rebukes another will find more favor in the end than the person who flatters.  This also seems counter-intuitive.  We don’t want to be rejected, so we think that we need to say things that others want to hear.  We don’t want to hurt people, so we don’t make them uncomfortable.  Yet, what growth occurs when we are comfortable?  What growth occurs when people are telling us that we are perfect?  Do we really love and respect the people in our own lives who simply give us platitudes?

<><

Year 8, Day 318: Proverbs 27

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Proverbs 27 is another one of those highly random chapters.  For example, I love Proverbs 27:7.  Whoever is full loathes honey, but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.  What can this teach us about life?  We learn that life is about perspective.  Take a person who has everything.  They tend to be satisfied with nothing.  However, take someone who has nothing.  They tend to be very easy to satisfy.  Often times our reactions to something reveals more about where we are in life than the thing itself.

Or, take the second half of Proverbs 27:10.  Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.  What can this teach us?  Human beings are relational.  We need one another.  When we need help, we are more readily helped by a person who can be present for listening or assistance.

I also like the way that this chapter ends.  We hear about knowing one’s flock instead of pursuing one’s riches.  The author then goes on to say that riches fade and come out of season, but one’s flock can feed and clothe you forever.  I think that there is something to this.  There is a lesson on prioritization.  Chase after that which can satisfy life, not satisfy the fleeting lusts of the heart. 

I think there is also a lesson about having a realistic perspective.  Other places in the Bible speak about that which we treasure being connected to our heart.  With what are we willing to be satisfied?  Are we content with that which sustains life, or do we look past that which sustains us in search of value where it cannot be found?

<><

Year 8, Day 317: Proverbs 26

Theological Commentary: Click Here

While this whole chapter is not devoted to the fool, a good portion of it is!  The fool is the antithesis of the content in the book of Proverbs.  The fool is the person that the advice in the book of Proverbs is meant to change.  As we draw near the end of the book, examine the fool, for the Proverbs grow blunter.

Honor is as fitting for a fool as snow belongs in summer or rain belongs in the harvest.  Snow in the summer is more than just an anomaly or a paradox.  Snow in the summer means an abnormally low range of temperatures.  That means it could stunt the growth of the crops.  It could even kill the crops.  Snow in the summer can be outright dangerous to a pre-modern society!  For that matter, think about rain in the autumn.  Grains can’t be gathered effectively in the rain.  Instead, the crops sit in the field.  They may overripen.  They may spoil.  What is the point of this?  Giving honor to a fool is about as dangerous as snow in the summer and rain in the harvest.  When a fool is given honor, we send the wrong message.  Other people will imitate the behavior of the fool.  The fool certainly won’t learn from any mistakes!

Another pair of interesting proverbs about the fool are found in Proverbs 26:4-5.  In verse 4, we hear that we are not to answer a fool according to his folly.  In other words, we are not to lower ourselves to their level.  We are not to respond to the fool in foolishness.  When we stoop to the level of the fool, we actually honor his methods.  We don’t need to do that.  Yet, in verse 5 we hear that we are to answer the fool according to his folly.  What this means is that we shouldn’t be afraid to show the fool why he is foolish.  Often, we put the fool in their place so that they can see the error of their ways.  We don’t answer the fool foolishly lest we honor them, we answer them in such a way that their foolishness becomes crystal clear.

Finally, my all-time favorite proverb.  As a dog returns to its vomit, so is a fool who returns to his folly.  I’d never understood what this proverb meant until I owned dogs.  More than once I’ve had a dog eat their meal and then a few minutes later they throw it up.  Unless the dog is stopped, within seconds the dog will re-consume the food, stomach acid and all!  I find it utterly repulsive, but I cannot deny it happens.  The author of the Proverbs tells us that the fool is no different.  The fool goes to repeat the same behavior that caused them to be sick in the first place.  In other words, they re-consume the same things that made them ill in the first place.  There is no learning, just instinct – and bad ones at that.

<><

Year 8, Day 316: Proverbs 25

Theological Commentary: Click Here

I think the main point of today’s chapter is self-control.  Verse 16 leapt out at me today.  “If you find honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit.”  How true is it that human beings tend to binge on things that they like until they can’t stand them anymore?  Haven’t we all had the experience of eating too much to the point of being sick?  Haven’t we all had the experience of being obsessed with something and then by the same time next year we don’t even care about it?  This is the point of the Proverb.  Moderation is a key to happiness, not gluttony.

Another way of looking at this is verse 17.  “Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house, lest he have his fill of you and hate you.”  This is the same kind of thought.  People need space.  We are communal beings, but too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing.  It is good for neighbors to get along, but it is not good for neighbors to be so close that a feud breaks out.

I think this idea is one of the most easily misunderstood elements of marriage.  When two people get married, they decide to spend the rest of their life together.  People think that often means spending ever moment of their marriage together.  I don’t agree with that.  My wife and I do spent a good amount of time together.  But when we are together, we aren’t always talking.  Sometimes we are in the same room for hours and we don’t say a word to each other; we just enjoy each other’s presence.  Sometimes we are in the same house but in different rooms.  My point is that even in marriage some of the healthiest choices are for us to not have too much of a good thing.  My wife is my best friend, for sure; but I respect and honor our mutual need for space.

This chapter ends by telling us that a person without self-control is like a city without walls.  When we don’t have self-control, our joys and passions are always being stolen and fading away.  When we don’t have self-control, we are taken advantage of by others.  When we don’t have self-control, we can actually give too much of ourselves and drive others away.  Self-control is a significant part of being the person God desires us to be.

<><

Year 8, Day 315: Proverbs 24

Theological Commentary: Click Here

The proverbs in this chapter are all over the place, although like much of the proverbs they do all share the idea of wisdom and righteousness.  By wisdom a house is build.  With knowledge a house is filled.  Wisdom gives us strength; knowledge increases our might.  After all, how many times is the victory not the one who is physically strong but the one who is mentally strong?  Who become the commanders and generals?  Is it those who are physically strong or the ones with enough wisdom and intelligence to rise to the top?

In the middle off all of these proverbs on wisdom and knowledge there is a challenging passage.  “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let knot your heart be glad when he stumbles.”  Proverbs 23:17 gives must of us more challenge than we can handle.  Isn’t it our human nature to celebrate when those who are most opposed to us go down?  Isn’t it our human nature to cheer when those who stand in our way get knocked down a few pegs?

While it is in our nature, Proverbs 23:18 puts a great light on our nature.  “Lest the Lord see it and be displeased.”  Remember, we are all sinners in the eyes of the Lord.  As Paul teaches us, no one is righteous – not even one.  None of us can truthfully claim to deserve God’s love.  If we were all to be judged on our merits, we would all come up guilty.

Yet, God loves us all.  We all make mistakes.  Sometimes we place ourselves in opposition to other people.  We assume that means that God chooses up sides, too.  The truth is, He doesn’t.  He desires for all of us to know Him.  He is rooting for us all in our fight against sin.

Don’t get me wrong, though.  God does occasionally come and punish.  He does come and lay out consequences before the stubborn.  I’m not saying that God is not a God of justice.  The Bible tells us that, “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord.”  But the truth is that what God really wants is repentance.  What He wants – even from the greatest sinner on the face of the earth – is for that sinner to look to Him and say, “I was wrong, please forgive me.”

If God is cheering for our enemies, shouldn’t we be doing the same?  No, we don’t need to root for the products of their sin.  But should we not be cheering for their repentance and forgiveness?  Should we not be rooting for even our enemies to come to know God and to see life through His eyes?  We should not rejoice at the downfall of our enemy, we should prepare to rejoice at his redemption.

<><

Year 8, Day 314: Proverbs 23

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Proverbs 23 starts off with a few neat verses about wealth.  We are not to toil hard to amass wealth.  In fact, it is even better that we not see it!  For when we look upon it to attain it, it shifts away and stays out of our grasp.  If our eyes are desiring of wealth, we will pursue it forever and never truly attain it.  How many people in this life have died pursuing the easy life of wealth yet never attained their goal?

The author says similar things about the food of the stingy – and let’s face it, often the wealthy are among the stingiest!  The person who is stingy tell you to eat and drink, but inwardly they are calculating about how much you have taken from them and how much you are growing into their debt.  Your time and your friendship is wasted upon such a person.

If we are to be wise, we should set out heart on wisdom and righteousness.  If we act and speak in righteousness, then the Lord will be with us.  If we gain wisdom, we will be able to know right from wrong.  We will be able to avoid the pitfalls of sin.  When we do these things, the Lord will have reason to take notice and uphold our cause.

In fact, when we are wise and righteous we make those people around us rejoice.  We make our parents proud.  We make our friends glad to know us.  We make our God look down upon us with joy.  We make the lives of those whom we do not know better!  When we live a life of righteousness we benefit the community around us.  This is why it is better to pursue righteousness and wisdom than set our eyes upon wealth or other sins of the world.

<><

Year 8, Day 313: Proverbs 22

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Looking at Proverbs 22 gives us many words on wisdom and how we conduct ourselves.  I find the words about the poor to be especially drawing today.  How we handle the poor – for that matter, the rich, too – speak deeply about who we are as people.

Proverbs 22:22 tells us to not rob the poor or crush the afflicted because the Lord is the one who pleads for them.  Why would we want to make an enemy of God?  Why would we want to make the one who is in charge of eternal life an enemy?

What I find more interesting is that the Lord should identify with the poor and the oppressed.  Sure, this is a theme throughout the Bible.  The Lord is the advocate of the poor and oppressed.  He always has been and He always will be.  What I find so interesting is that the author of the Lord should care about them at all.  After all, what can the poor and the oppressed give to God?  It isn’t what the poor and the oppressed bring to God that matters, actually.  What matters is that the poor and the oppressed have no other defense.  The point of all of this is that the Lord isn’t interested in what we can do for Him.  While we are interested in such details, the Lord is not.  The Lord is interested in righteousness and justice.  To be righteous means to stand up for those who cannot stand for themselves.

It is for these reasons that we have verse 16.  “Those who oppress the poor to increase their own wealth will come into poverty.”  This is also why we have verse 2.  “The rich and the poor meet together, but the Lord is maker of them all.”  The Lord does not take it lightly when we take advantage of those who are lower in station than we are.  Anyone can kick someone while they’re down.  That shows no righteousness.  In fact, it only invokes the wrath of the one who defends them for the sake of righteousness: the Lord.

<><

Year 8, Day 312: Proverbs 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Proverbs 21 gives us a really neat opening.  “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes.”  This is completely true.  Our actions and our words stem from our heart.  When we do something, it is because in the moment we are convinced we need to do it!  Sure, we might go back and reflect on our words and discover an error in our decision-making process.  But in the moment, everything we do or say is done because we convinced ourselves it was worth doing or saying.

“But the Lord weighs the heart.”  In other words, when we do something, God knows why we did it.  In those moments when we convince ourselves to pursue evil, God knows our hearts.  He knows the lie that we chose to believe.  He knows our inner darkness.  In truth, He knows us better than ourselves because we choose to believe the lie!  He knows the truth.

“To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”  This proverb is the natural extension of the prior proverb.  Why would God accept a sacrifice from a person who only appears to be righteous on the outside?  Anyone can give a sacrifice.  True righteousness comes from the heart, not one’s actions.

“Haughty eyes and a proud heart – the lamp of the wicked – are sin.”  Here we come to the crux of the issue.  Pride comes from the heart.  A haughty attitude comes from the heart.  This is why God cares about our heart.  If our heart is right, our actions will follow.  When our heart is not right, we will see ourselves as right but willingly head down the path of sin.

<><

Year 8, Day 311: Proverbs 20

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Proverbs 20 gives us some very interesting words of advice regarding humanity and business.  We already know that God respects righteousness.  He looks for people who handle themselves with maturity as well as with an outlook for the people around them.  Why shouldn’t this same view extend into the business world?

Unequal weights and unequal measures are an abomination to the Lord.  Note that this proverb gets largely repeated in verse 23, too.  God does care how we treat one another in business.  He doesn’t want us cheating each other.  He wants us to live in community where we care for one another, not where we care only for ourselves.

I think there is more to it than this, though.  When we cheat one another, we demonstrate self-interest more than love for the other.  In fact, when we cheat one another we share a lack of compassion at all towards the other.  We stop seeing them as a person and start seeing them as a means to an end.  No longer is business about a fair exchange between equals, when we cheat business becomes a way to deprive other people of what is rightfully theirs while giving them something unequal to what was taken from them.  When we cheat one another, we lose our humanity and become the basest of creatures who care only for their own selfish instinct.

There’s still another side to this.  Unequal weights are meant to do more than cheat.  Unequal weights are meant to deceive.  Unequal weights are only effective when they appear to be what they are not.  They may have hollowed out cores.  They might be made of a different material and then covered in thin plating or with paint of an appropriate color.  The point is that they are deceptive.

God doesn’t care for a heart that enjoys deception.  It’s one thing to make a mistake.  It’s another thing to plan out the downfall of another.  Deception shows intent to injure.  Deception shows a desire to cause another hardship.  It isn’t just the act that is wrong, it is the condition of the heart that has God concerned.

<><

Year 8, Day 310: Proverbs 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here

This chapter has several intriguing proverbs.  To begin, look at our old friend knowledge.  Verse 27 tells us that if we cease to hear instruction we stray from knowledge.  Verse 35 tells us that when we reprove a man of understand that he gains knowledge.  Verse 20 tells us to listen to advice and accept instruction so that we gain wisdom in the future.  Each of these proverbs has two things in common.  The first one is the thread that we can learn from our mistakes.  In other words, mistakes aren’t the end of the world if we learn from them.  The second one is that wisdom and knowledge are largely dependent upon us.  Neither quality is inherent within us, but we certainly have the power to prevent them from taking root within!  We can choose to remain in our ignorance; even better, we can choose to receive instruction and reproach to grow who we are.

Verse 6, everyone is a friend to those who give gifts, is an interesting perspective on humanity.  Who doesn’t love a handout, right?  Who doesn’t love a person who is willing to share?  I see it all the time at school.  Take a kid who brings cupcakes or some other neat dessert in.  They have instant friends who simply want the benefit of the cupcakes.  When the cupcakes are gone, so are the instant friends.  Or, imagine picking up teams for a review game where the winning team gets bonus on the test the next day.  Suddenly all the kids want to be the friend of the smart guy.  What does this mean?  It means human beings are fickle.  We’re in it for ourselves.  We always make friends with those who can help increase our status or pleasure in the world.

I really like verse 17.  Whoever lends to the poor gives to the Lord.  This is brilliant, in my book.  The world thinks that lending to the poor is a silly concept.  After all, how will they ever repay?  The person who lends to the poor is unlikely to regain what they lend.  On the other hand, does not God see what we do?  Is not God strong enough to make it right?  Sure, the poor may not even be able to repay the debt.  Cannot God, however, repay the debt in full and then some?  This proverb helps us focus considerably on the idea that we should have our focus on the Lord and what He has already done for us rather than worrying about whether or not we’ll ever break even in the first place.  God has blessed us with so much already that from His perspective we’ll never fall back to even - even if we should happen to give all that we have.

<><

Year 8, Day 309: Proverbs 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here

There are several proverbs in this chapter that make a ton of sense to the introvert.  I am an introvert, so I’ll expound on that today.  Please note that these proverbs apply just as much to the extrovert, they just cut very close to the being of the introvert.

An introvert is not someone who is timid or shy.  Timid and shy people can be extroverts, too.  An introvert is someone who gains energy by being alone or by being in small groups of people they know.  They’ve done studies to show that introverts are far more sensitive to the effects of dopamine than extroverts – meaning that it is easy for an introvert to overdose on dopamine – which is why introverts don’t like surprises (and especially hate surprise parties) or loud places, or crowds, or a ton of stimulation at once.  They’ve also done studies to show that while extroverts perceive the world around them through their senses – which is why they typically respond far more quickly than an introvert – an introvert perceives the world around them through the memory portion of the brain.  This is why most introverts can’t tell you how they feel in the moment; they need to think about it for a day or so to tell you how they really felt.  An introvert needs to make it a memory and then process it; the extrovert simply responds to the stimulus and decides to make a memory of it later.

Wy bring all of this out today?  Proverbs 18:13 speaks into the soul of the introvert.  If one gives answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.  Introverts inherently understand the importance of actually listening, thinking about what was said, and then responding only after a proper analysis has been done.  There is no point in formulating your answer while the other person is still speaking!  When we do that, we diminish our ability to listen and likely miss nuances within what the other person is saying.  Instead, listen.  Then formulate your answer.  Then speak what you believe to be true.

Or, take the last proverb in the chapter.  A many of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.  If you are an introvert, you’ll understand when I say that I have about 6 friends in my life.  I have many acquaintances.  I have lots of people whose names I know and whose opinions I’ve heard.  But in this life, I have about 6 people who truly know me, know my struggles, can guess how I’m feeling just by looking at me, and in whom I confide.  Introverts understand that a person’s importance does not equate to their popularity.  The person with many friends is not a better person.  In fact, if we have too many friends we cannot possibly know them all.  We let people into our circles of confidence before we can vet them out and understand if they are good for us or bad for us.  If we have too many friends we can’t determine who is there for us and who is there for themselves and could really care less about us.  Many companions may lead to ruin; but a few close friends can carry you through your life.

<><

Year 8, Day 308: Proverbs 17

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Proverbs 17 has some incredibly wise one-liners.  We get to hear about wisdom again.  We also get to hear sound practical life-advice.  This is a great chapter of the Bible.

Start first in the middle.  “Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to meet a fool bent on folly.”  I think that we all understand what happens when we meet a bear robbed of her cubs.  The she-bear is angry and murderous.  She will tear you up.  E anger knows only the limit of her endurance.  Yet, Solomon tells us that it is better to meet someone like that than a fool bent on folly!  There is a pretty simply reason, I believe.  The bear will rip you apart, but you see it coming and the fury will pass quickly.  The fool will utterly destroy your life and you won’t see it coming.  Worse, the destruction that the fool brings to your life will cost you a long period of time as you try your best to recover.  The she-bear brings a ton of pain that is short-lived.  The fool brings a life of unforeseen pain.

I also love the advice that starting a quarrel is like breaching a damn.  I always think of the Hoover damn when I picture this proverb.  I think of this huge, massive concrete damn and this tiny trickle of water coming out the bottom.  Then, I think of the damn cracking so that the tiny trickle of water turns into a massive deluge.  Other people might think of the famous Johnstown Flood of 1889.  The idea is the same.  When a damn breaks, there is no holding back the onslaught that comes forth.  The same thing is true about starting an argument.  Once you start an argument, you let loose a circumstance that is no longer under your control.  The quarrel could fester and unleash all kinds of consequences the are unable to be stopped.  It is best to just not begin a quarrel.

As an aside, I personally think this proverb speaks greatly to the American political climate of today. America has a (largely) two-party system and neither party will work together anymore.  Why?  In the past, the parties quarreled.  They have gotten so accustomed to quarrelling that they can’t do anything except tote the party line anymore.  The quarreling is so great that any attempt to not quarrel is glaring to everyone involved and people are crucified for “colluding with the other side.”  In the past, someone broke the damn of good government and we as a nation are unable to hold back the onslaught that pours out.  For the record, I personally blame the news media for escalating the onslaught by blowing everything up to as big of a deal as it can possibly make it for the sake of getting people to read their news.

While there are many other great proverbs in this chapter, the last one I’ll talk about today is the proverb about fools having money to buy wisdom when they are unable to understand it.  This is akin to saying that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.  Or it is like saying that you can dress up a boy to make him look like a man, but you can’t actually make him be a man.  The point is simple.  We cannot buy wisdom.  Wisdom is not a commodity for sale.  Wisdom is a way of life.  It is a calling.  It is a passion.  Wisdom is something that we pursue and invest in, not something that we purchase or steal from others.

<><

Year 8, Day 307: Proverbs 16

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Today we start to lose the proverbs that speak in terms of opposites and simply turn to stated wisdom.  The topics, however, continue to bounce around a good bit.  There is a strong bit of focus upon the ways of the Lord in the first few proverbs.

The challenge set forth in the first proverb is wonderful.  To humans belong the plans of the heart, but the proper answers of the tongue come from the Lord.  In other words, we as human beings have all kinds of fantasies, dreams, hopes, aspirations, and plans.  We have thoughts that we would love to have become reality.  Our hearts are full of what might happen in our life.  Reality, though, belongs to the Lord.  Wisdom is something that belongs to the domain of God.  Truth is a concept that God knows.  We are the chieftain of our own dreams and aspirations; God is king over truth and reality.

This leads directly into the second proverb.  A person’s ways seem right to them, but the Lord is the only one qualified to truly weigh them out.  I use this proverb all the time in teaching.  How many people truly ever sit back and say to themselves, “No, that thought I had just now simply doesn’t make any sense at all?”  The only people capable of doing that are people who are trained is wisdom.  Most people, myself included, have a natural disposition to think that their thoughts make sense!  Obviously, if I have a thought, then it must be logical, right?  Absolutely not!  Human beings must be trained in logic.  We must be taught wisdom.  Only the Lord – and the ways of the Lord – are truly capable of comparing what is good and what is truly evil.

How do we respond, then?  Commit our plans to the Lord.  In other words, go ahead and dream.  Have your fantasies.  Aspire to do great things.  Remember, though, to always stop and ask God if the aspiration, dream, or fantasy is something that the Lord thinks is a good idea first.  There is nothing wrong with dreaming or thinking or talking.  Just remember that some dreams and hopes sound cool in the immediate future but we aren’t able to realize the lasting impacts of our decisions.  We can’t possibly consider every angle of every hope.  We need the perspective of the Lord to tell us what is good or bad.

<><

Year 8, Day 306: Proverbs 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here

There are three proverbs that leapt out today as I read through this chapter.  Two of them are consecutive and deal with the same topic.  The third is near the end with a profound amount of applicable wisdom.

In verses 8 and 9 we hear about what the Lord detests and what He loves.  It is always prudent to think about what the Lord despises and what the Lord loves.  When I study scripture, I find that I am usually surprised at what I find when I follow these verses as deeply as possible.

For example, the Lord detests the way of the wicked.  That’s no surprise.  Then we hear that the Lord despises the sacrifice of the wicked.  This is a bit of a surprise.  After all, how many times do we think about God and we think about obedience.  How many times do we think, “I went to church on Sunday and fulfilled my weekly obligation, so I can check that off the list.”  Or, how many times do we say, “I prayed before I ate my meal, so I’ve done my duty.”  Does the Lord love such actions if our heart is not in them or even if our heart is not right before Him?  Does the Lord love our actions – regardless of what they are – when our heart is wicked?

On the other hand, look at what the Lord loves.  The Lord loves those who pursue righteousness.  He loves the prayer of the upright.  In other words, the Lord loves the actions of those whose heart is right.  When our heart is right, we do the things that are pleasing to Him.  The status of our heart is not made by what we do, what we do is a reflection of the status of our heart. The Lord loves our heart and what comes out of a heart that is pursuing Him.

The third proverb that leapt off the page today is that humility comes before honor.  Humility comes before honor!  So often the world overlooks the humble.  The world seems to adore the proud and at times it seems the prouder the more the world adores them!  However, this is not the case with true honor.  Humility comes before true honor.  Respect is given by others, not taken by the proud.  True honor is bestowed, not demanded.

<><

Year 8, Day 305: Proverbs 14

Theological Commentary: Click Here

It’s time to take a break from the persistent righteous and folly debate, although it certainly continues to run through this chapter as well.  This chapter has a couple of proverbs that will allow this pause in our focus.

Each heart knows its own bitterness.  There are incredible amounts of truth in this saying.  I’ve always been cautious about saying the words, “I know how you feel.”  Yes, I do say them fairly often.  But the truth is that I can’t really know how someone else feels.  I might know how I would feel in their place.  I might be able to relate what I think they are feeling to a feeling that seems similar to me.  But I cannot possibly know how someone else is feeling.  I can’t know another’s pain, loneliness, or sorrow.

Interestingly enough, I can’t know another’s joy, either.  Again, I can know how I would feel if I were in someone else’s place.  I can know the height of my own pleasure.  Even so, I still can’t truly know how someone else is being pleased or made happy.  I can relate, but I can’t truly know.

As long as the focus is on one’s feelings, I also love the proverb that says that even in laughter the heart may ache or rejoicing may end in grief.  It’s amazing how much pain a smile can truly hide.  It’s amazing how good human beings are at putting on a façade.  Some days I feel like I am a master of my façade, wondering if anyone really knows what lies beneath.

<><