Another Voice Heard

(Pro 16:2 KJV)  All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.

There are times when a paraphrase hits a home run.  This is one of them or else I am just in the mood for a pithy saying,

(Pro 16:2 LB) We can always “prove” that we are right, but is the Lord convinced?

One of the great functions of reading the word of God is to knock us off of our high horse.  It is so easy for us to be filled with ourselves.  God loves to deflate our egos when it is a step toward righteousness and upright living.

So?  Read another translation at times.  Look for insights that have escaped you before.  Trust me, they are there. 

A Matter of Opinion

(Psa 124:2 KJV)  If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

(Proverbs 7 also read)

This brings to mind a quote that I heard attributed to Abraham Lincoln.  He is reported to have said something to the effect that “It isn’t so much that God is on our side as whether we are on His side.”  There is a real difference even though the results should be the same.

We need to careful about putting our priorities in God’s mouth.  I was reading recently about how in the Civil war, as in many wars, both sides were praying to the same God and claiming His protection and victory.  It can’t work that way.

So?  The only way to avoid this is to be aware of our pride and how it often dictates our thinking process.  Know the truth if you want it to set you free.  

Well, Oh Yeah?

Proverbs 20:3 (KJV) It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

As I started reading through this chapter in Proverbs, I came to this verse and it jumped out at me.  The reason it jumped out is because I have a tendency to enjoy a good argument and want to win.  This can be with friends, arguing theology, or with my wife discussing cleaning the kitchen.  It has many forms and even more applications.

It is so easy to think that, because I am right, I should win the argument.  We don’t like to think of it as an argument, or as the KJV calls it, strife, but how else would you describe it?  To misquote, Shakespeare,

“A rose by any other name, be it oh so sweet, it’s still a Rose.”

Since the thing that hit me in the face was the translation, or rather paraphrase, of the NLT I might as well print that out.

Proverbs 20:3 (NLT) Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling.

So?  I should insist on listening and understanding rather than quarreling.  God have mercy on my soul. 

Not a Good Bet

Proverbs 3:7 (KJV) Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.

The New Living Translation caught my attention on this verse.

Proverbs 3:7 (NLT) Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

I got to thinking about how often we think we can handle the temptations of life and come out victorious.  I’m not talking here about the temptations we can’t avoid.  Some things are put on our plate and we have to deal with them.  In those cases we can trust God to help us find a way around or through the danger.  What I’m thinking of are those times where we get so impressed with her own wisdom and knowledge that we head straight into the storm.

I can remember going out walking in gully washers.  As a kid I would put on my poncho, don my pith helmet and boots and go for a walk in the rain.  Did I mention that I do this after dark and that much of my walking is done through the surging gutters on the side of the road and not on the sidewalk?  It was pretty stupid.  In the midst of my wisdom, I figured I was bundled up and ready to go.  I lived to not talk about it, at least around my parents.

This is a warning about that nonsense.

So?  I will admit God kind of has His eye on us and His guardian angels are working overtime to keep us out of trouble.  Don’t tempt Him to let us know how stupid we’re being.  Go for the wisdom, God’s wisdom, not ours.

Rolex Friends

(Pro 23:7 KJV)  For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

I am not a big fan of the NIV, but I am reading it this month as part of my discipline in reading Proverbs.  Occasionally I see something that peaks my interest and gets me thinking.  Today I saw this in the paraphrase,

Proverbs 23:7 (NIV) for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

Do you have any friends, family, members or acquaintances that are always looking at the price tags of life?  I know I have a friend who took his daughter out to dinner, and when she realized that he was paying she very pointedly order the most expensive item on the menu.  Do you know people who think that something is more valuable just because it has a higher price tag?  Have you been around people who tell you what everything costs including gifts that are given to you on a special day?

I guess the big question is, “Are you one of those kind of people?”  I don’t think it’s presented here as a positive attribute.  I would imagine that sometimes it expresses itself in the opposite way.  Instead of bragging about how much you paid you brag about how little you paid.  You can go either way

So?  Don’t be that person.  Salvation is a gift that you cannot earn.  It was paid for by the blood of Jesus.  It is nothing to brag about, but it is something to celebrate.  Rejoice.

Backwards

Psalms 80:18 (KJV) So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.

(Proverbs 15 also read)

Asaph has a definite view of God and Israel.  I would say that his perspective is at the heart of why God allowed Israel to be deported and debased.  If my memory serves me correctly, you never have Asaph speaking of repentance.  He seems totally unaware of why God was allowing His people to suffer.  It’s very clear to the prophets.  It’s clear in the history’s.  It makes me wonder why he couldn’t see, but he misses it.

Even here we see a reversal of the order of how things should be.  He reminds me of Wimpy saying that he would be glad to pay you on Tuesday if you would buy him a hamburger today.  Here we see a typical way to try and get around repentance.  Asaph says if you revive us, if you touch us, if you pull us out of our difficult situation, then we will call upon Your name.

So?  It doesn’t work that way when we call upon God.  We approach Him with repentance.  We confess our sin.  We believe in Jesus.  In a word, we call upon His name.  And then He will “quicken us”.

Games Not to Play

(Rom 1:22 KJV)  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

(Proverbs 11 also read)

Sunday I finished reading Acts and Monday I began Romans.  I noticed that I needed to slow down and smell the roses a little more.  Today when I came to this passage I noticed that a section that is often linked to the sin of homosexuality was at first much more open to the general population.  I picked this verse as a focus but in reality this is just a summary.

The point Paul is making is that even the general population has an awareness of God and what He expects.  They reject Him and make up their own idols to worship.  Okay.  Shame on them.  What hit me was that the arrogance and pride involved is also to be found in what some people consider the church.  We have large numbers of people who are going through the motions in carefully isolated compartments of their lives but on the whole they are still insisting on being in charge.

God is not fooled.  He is not mocked.  He does not play games.

So?  The Bible means what it says.  We need to be wary of people who claim to have insight, revelation or knowledge that warps the message.  Paul says people know better.  That means that God knows we know better. 

Do an Agenda Check

(Pro 26:9 KJV)  As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

As I read this I thought of some of the people I have heard in pulpits and Bible studies who teach some of the most ridiculous things.  Actually it is worse than that.  Many teach nonsense.  Others are undisguised heretics.  

In some cases it is a matter of not listening or not being mature enough to understand.  I think of how Jesus taught in parables.  That is the word used in the KJV for “proverbs” (4912).  He had to explain them in great detail to the chosen disciples.  It is no wonder the multitude did not understand.  

There are others like the magician Simon in Acts 8:9 who wanted the power of God for their own purposes.  That is getting closer to what we are talking about here.  Some people are feeding their own ego or desire for power when they step up to preach and teach.

So?  Beware.  If you are in a church that has that kind of leadership and you can’t do anything about it, I would suggest finding another church. 

Let Your Meow Be Meow

(Pro 17:7 KJV)  Excellent speech becometh not a fool: much less do lying lips a prince.

One of the joys of grandchildren, and children I guess, is the process of language development.  Our youngest is at the stage where he substitutes sounds that are easy to say for harder words.  It is hard to tell the difference between “meow” for cat and something screeched out that represents a fire engine.  The older one is attempting to use big words even when she doesn’t know what they mean.  

With children it is fun.  If we go either way it can get embarrassing.  

So?  Let your speech be simple.  If we try to impress we might succeed but not the way we intended. 

Focused Pride

(Pro 16:18 KJV)  Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.

I think that we sometimes get proud for all the right reasons.  They are right because they are Biblical in isolation.  We are to be holy.  We are to live upright lives.  We are to be moral and honest.  And we are.  That is something to celebrate and be glad in.  So where is the problem?

We start to turn our focus away from the reality that we are nothing without the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.  We have nothing to say if all we can say is “live long and prosper.”  That is a wonderful thought but it misses that fact that God is the one holding the universe together.  In our pride we get real good at mouthing that and still believing in our hearts that it is because of something we have done.  

I recently was doing an organ recital with another old guy.  We were looking at how hard some have it and how blessed we are.  I shared that the temptation is to believe that I am healthier because I am more righteous.  That may be true because God gives us living patterns for a reason but it is pride to assume it is really from our discipline and effort.

So?  Rejoice in what God does for us and through us.  It might be a good idea to write a note to yourself that you could read every morning to remind you that it is all because of Him. 

A Nasty Nephesh

(Pro 28:25 KJV)  He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.

One of the values of a good study Bible or software is that you can go a step deeper into seeking the original message that God was giving to His people.  This verse is a good example.  I refer to the word “arrogant” (7342) used in the NASB.  It has a footnote that says it literally means “broad soul”.  A quick check shows that the KJV gets closer by giving us “proud” (7342) “heart” (5315).  “Broad” is a good translation of the first word.  The second is nephesh in Hebrew and is an important theological word referring to the inner essence of man.  It involves a self awareness that is never attributed to what we would call the lower animals.  If I remember correctly Hugh Ross said in a podcast that nephesh only existed in animals that could relate to humans on a personal level.  Thus a dog or horse would have nephesh.  A fish would not no matter how much some people claim to have befriended them.

I would speculate that the combination here refers to a person who is so sure of his own worth that it trumps the value of others.

So?  I am not sure that this is a problem for many people.  Life tends to knock arrogance out of a lot of us.  It is still a sin to be aware of. 

Choice Ignorance

(Pro 7:7 KJV)  And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,

Two kinds of people are commented on in this chapter.  The first, who gets the least attention, is the son who is being told to listen to the commandments and wisdom.  The one mentioned here, and by extension the woman he has an affair with, are rejecting that advice.

Two descriptions are given.  First, he is “simple” (naive NASB) (6612a) and second he is “lacking” (2638) “sense” (3820) or “void of understanding.  If you follow to the end of the chapter you find out that this guy is bound for hell.  That is a significant difference but it is caused by the real difference.  The reason he is bound for hell is he refuses to engage with the truth that is offered to him.  He probably thinks he is smart enough to avoid the pitfalls.  He would have to play all kind of mind games to say he didn’t know anything about it, after all, he lived during the time period when Solomon was building the temple.  It was not a time of ignorance about the law and God’s expectations.

So?  We all have opportunities.  We all have the necessary knowledge for how things go for us in eternity.  Some people, no matter how much they are talked to, will refuse to listen.  They don’t want to hear it so they don’t.  I trust we will make better choices. 

Simple Warnings

(Pro 30:32 KJV)  If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.

This is a warning.  In this case there are two points of focus.  One side is the arrogance that comes from lifting ourselves.  The other is planning to put others down.  There is a middle ground and we are to be on it.  It is the way of righteousness.  It is the way of obedience.  It is the way of love.  If you have not read I Corinthians 13 recently it would be a good activity for your day.  It warns against boasting and arrogance.  It tells us not to rejoice in unrighteousness.

So?  Some things seem so obvious and simple and yet they are continually brought up in scripture.  I leave it to you to figure out why. 

Sticking

(Pro 16:20 KJV)  He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

This is a great verse but it is richer when you consider the context and the questions it answers.  If you look back over the preceding verses you see reference to arrogance, priorities and prosperity.  I ask myself, “How do I know if I am arrogant?”  Often we ignore the quality when everyone around us sees it.  Conversely, arrogance is often a pejorative term used to describe someone who is keyed into truth and following God’s directions.

I remember one time a man in the church came to me to talk about my arrogance.  He was not accusing me of it but he had heard others commenting.  We spent a positive and constructive time reviewing who had made the accusation, what they felt I was arrogant about and what was the Biblical basis for our positions.  Notice the key in this verse to finding out if you are arrogant or not:  the “word” (1697).  After considering the situation and what the Bible said he concluded that I was not being arrogant, just Biblical.

So?  It is not always easy or comforting to be the one who stands up for the standards of the Bible.  We expect that in public but are often surprised when it happens in the church.  Don’t stick to your guns, stick to the word.

Tender of Contention

(Pro 13:10 KJV)  Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Unlike the Tango, it does not take two for “contention” (strife NASB) (4863).  All it takes is one.  I know because one of my personality problems is that I usually think I am the one who is wrong in a conflict and that does not keep the attack from coming.  I am not talking about theological points or such.  On those I know what I know, but in interpersonal stuff I always wonder what I missed.

That does not mean that I can’t be guilty of a bit of “pride” (presumption) (2087).  That is what the carnal nature and original sin is all about.  I am not sure that we ever can get away from the fact that we are locked in our own skins and limited by our senses.  

So?  We all need to try to see the point of view of the other person.  That point of view of course needs to be grounded in scripture but there are many things we disagree on that are not spiritual issues.

Approved for All Audiences

(Pro 1:4 KJV)  To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

I am an old man but I was once “young” (youth NASB) (5228).  When I read verses like this I am quite willing to give the “amen” and look at callow young people who need seasoning with wisdom.  It is a very comforting place to be.

Proverbs, however, was not written so that we can find fault in others and look down our noses at them.  I understand that as we get older our noses grow so we are in a position to do better nose looking than we used to be.  In reality this is not just a reminder that youth need to study and understand what is being taught in Proverbs.  The principles of listening, paying attention and pondering should also be alive and well in us old know-it-all’s.

So?  Some things we never get past and this is one of them.  The lessons are for me as much as they are for my grandson. 

What You See...

(Pro 13:7 KJV)  There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: there is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

I have a knee jerk reaction to this verse.  It says that the pretend rich guy is a phoney but the pretend poor guy is just humble.  I am not sure that is the message.  There is no praise or condemnation offered, so we supply our own.  I don’t see God throwing thunder bolts over this but I do imagine Him shaking His head at the foolishness of His creation.  

We have a hard time being ourselves.  There are some things I have accepted about myself.  I have big feet.  It is hard to hide.  There are other things that I keep hidden in the deep recesses of myself.  I know.  God knows.  No one else needs to know.  It is possible that if they did know they would ignore them as no big deal.

So?  There are sins we need to confess and repent of.  There are other things that we need to just get over.  It should be clear which is which. 

Angles of Pride

(Pro 16:5 KJV)  Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

Pride.  In one sense it is part of the human condition.  In that sense we are all locked inside our heads and can’t get out.  It is impossible for me to know what you are feeling and in a sense what you are thinking.  Compare it to pain.  Everyone experiences pain but we respond to it differently.  I had some wisdom teeth out years ago.  Everyone I knew told me how terrible it was.  They focused on the pain and the days of suffering.  I am still wondering what they were talking about.  Sure, I could not eat pop corn for a few days but it was really no big deal.  Did I not have any pain or did I just ignore it?  I will never know.

In another sense our pride is an attitude.  It is an attitude that looks down on others.  That is the basic root meaning of the word, to be elevated.  The most common translation is “high”.  The only problem with being taller or higher is if we think it is some kind of quality that makes us better.  It is the same way of thinking that can lead to racial hatred or class warfare.  

So?  We need to keep remembering that we are all sinners saved by grace.  The balancing act comes in when we realize we have gifts and they need to be exercised. 

Before the Fall

(Pro 15:25 KJV) The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

You really don’t want to get on God’s bad side.  This is presented in various forms.  At one place God says that if you mess with the unfortunate in life you will need to deal with their lawyer, which is God himself.  Christians and Jews are told to treat their enemies well, or else.  Here the issue is pride.  God seems to get extra rabid about pride.

On one level pride is a matter of feeling you are better than anyone else.  Why does someone get in the fast lane and drive slower than the flow of traffic?  Why do people park in front of fire hydrants?  Why do they put their fence a few inches on your property?  It eventually gets to the point where these people think they are better than God.  I think that is at the root of a lot of “Bible scholarship” and paraphrases masking as translations.  People figure they know more than God.

So?  I don’t know which should be first, courtesy toward our neighbors or fear of God.  Probably it should be simultaneous.  Destruction seems motivating to me. 

Proud and Proud

(Pro 21:24 KJV) Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who dealeth in proud wrath.

All is summed up in “insolent pride” (2087) of the NASB or the “proud wrath” of the KJV.  There is something going on here at a level I cannot discover.  The KJV tools tell me there are two Hebrew words, “proud” (2087) and “wrath” (5678).  The NASB has 2087 twice even though the translation seems to follow the KJV.  Did the NASB translators bow to the traditional translation? 

Either way pride is a problem.  The modifiers help us to see the difference between such things as being proud of your family and being self centered to the point of attacking everything else.

So?  Humility and an awareness of our dependence on God are always important.