Archive for January 2023
Proverbs 14:4 All those damn students
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox. Proverbs 14:4 NASB When I worked at Bellevue College, there was a period when summer classes ended in August and fall classes began in late September — a time when most faculty and students spent time elsewhere.…
Read MoreProverbs 14:3 “Shoot!” says the shoot
A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them. Proverbs 14:3 NIV Literally: In a fool’s mouth is a shoot for his swelling, lips of the wise keep, watch, preserve. Lashes out with pride: “is a rod for his back” (NAS) “is a rod of pride” (NKJV), is a…
Read MoreProverbs 14:2 To juke or not to juke
He who walks in his uprightness fears the LORD, But he who is devious in his ways despises Him. Proverbs 14:2 NASB The Hebrew word for uprightness means: straightness, evenness of path, often inferring rightness, what is due, right, or even predictable. In contrast, devious (in his ways) means: to turn aside, depart, the inferred…
Read MoreProverbs 14:1 Power in weakness
The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. Proverbs 14:1 NASB The Hebrew word for house is similar to the English word — it’s nuanced and has variety and depth. It can mean the physical home with roof and floor, or the place where you lay your…
Read MoreProverbs 13:25 Eat to your heart’s content
The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need. Proverbs 13:25 NASB Appearances are deceiving. Often one may look at men and women with no outward respect for God and see their prosperity. Where on another hand, those who pursue the kingdom, often at the expense of…
Read MoreProverbs 13:24 Rods, whips and cattle prods
He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently. Proverbs 13:24 NASB Growing and maturing can be a risky business. Push someone too hard and they resent you. Don’t push him hard enough and they miss an opportunity to fulfill their potential. Prune a plant too much and…
Read MoreProverbs 13:23 Turning graves into gardens
Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor, But it is swept away by injustice. Proverbs 13:23 NASB One could read this two ways: The fallow ground is producing the food on it’s own — a volunteer crop; or the land has much potential, if only there was one to cultivate it. Either…
Read MoreProverbs 13:22 Magnetism and money
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22 NASB There are a lot of similarities between people worldwide, but there is something extraordinary about the children of God: I have enough, and often more than enough. Humans must work,…
Read MoreProverbs 13:21 I don’t deserve this!
Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things. Proverbs 13:21 NIV [Adversity, disaster, hurt] pursue [chase, hunt, follows] sinners [criminals, one guilty of offense], but the righteous [just, lawful] will be rewarded [make amends, make an end, finish, full, give again, make good, repay again, from a root meaning to be…
Read MoreProverbs 13:20 Hocus focus and becoming
Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm. Proverbs 13:20 NIV Friendship is empathy. Understanding, aligning with, and accepting another. When you associate with someone, it creates a natural context for the heart to follow. The tighter a relationship, the more I will become like what I’m observing, accepting,…
Read More