Archive | June 2024

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 167

Jun15

   Day 167—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 167 – 1 Kings 9, 2 Chronicles 8. (The LORD’s second appearance to Solomon and all Solomon’s building projects)

2 Kings 9. “As soon as Solomon had finished building the house of the LORD… the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time.”  “I have heard your prayer and your plea…. I have consecrated this house…. putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will be there for all time.”

“And as for YOU, if you walk before me…. with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing all I have commanded you… then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever.”   

“BUT, IF YOU TURN ASIDE from following me…. go and serve other gods and worship them… THEN I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and the house that I have consecrated for my name I will cast out of my sight, and Israel will become a proverb and a byword among the peoples. And this house… will become a heap of ruins.”

Well, Solomon was forewarned by God. 

The rest of 2 Kings 9 and 2 Chronicles 8 describe Solomon’s massive building program that he undertook after the Temple and his Palace were completed (they took 20 years). He and Hiram, the king of Tyre, collaborated to build cities and ships for foreign trade. Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in Galilee, but after seeing them the king of Tyre didn’t like them. (Did he give them back??)

Again it’s mentioned that Solomon used all the non-Israeli people living in the land as slaves in all his building projects.  He also conscripted Israeli citizens, but they were for soldiers, officials, commanders, captains, chariot commanders, and horsemen. (I assume these were paid wages.)

In addition to the Temple and his own house, Solomon built up “the Millo” and the wall of Jerusalem. (The Millo was a landfill in the depression between the city of David and the Temple complex to the north. The north side of Jerusalem was vulnerable to attack, so this, and the wall were for protection.)

Solomon also fortified the “protection” cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.  He fortified or built other cities for his own uses, such as for “storage” or to house all his chariots, horses, and horsemen.  He built “whatever he desired to build” in Jerusalem, Lebanon, and all the land of his dominion.” 

Then he brought his wife – Pharaoh’s daughter – to the palace he’d built for her because he did not want this pagan wife to live in the House of King David or near the places where the Ark of the LORD had been.

(Smart move, Solomon. Too bad you didn’t keep the holiness of God in your heart throughout your entire reign.)

The end of 2 Chronicles 8 also tells how King Solomon followed the regulations of the LORD, concerning the daily burnt offerings, the Sabbaths, new moons, and the three Festivals Israel was to keep before the LORD.  He also kept the priestly appointment that David had set up for service in the Temple, plus the gatekeepers at each gate.  

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Psalm 84:1-2, 10.“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”  “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

Psalm 100:5. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

 

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 166

Jun14

   Day 166—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 166 – Psalms 134, 146 – 150. (Finishing the wonderful book of Psalms.)

I imagine these Psalms being sung as part of the celebration & dedication of the new Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem.

Psalm 134. “Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!  Lift up your hands to the holy place and bless the LORD!  May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth!”

Psalm 146:1-2.  “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.”

Psalm 147:1-2, 7. “Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The LORD builds up Jerusalem. He gathers the outcast of Israel.”  “Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving, to make melody to our God on the Lyre!”

Psalm 148:1-4.  “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you shining stars! Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!” 

Psalm 149:1-4, 6. “Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, His praise to the assembly of the godly! Let Israel be glad in His Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their king! Le the praise His name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with salvation.”  “Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and two-edged swords in their hands.”

Psalm 150:1-2, 6. “Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise Him in his mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!”   “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. PRAISE THE LORD!”

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 165

Jun13

   Day 165—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue with the history of Israel.

 Day 165 – 2 Chronicles 6 – 7, Psalm 136. (More detail on Solomon’s prayer/dedication of the temple and a song.)

After the Shekinah Glory of the LORD filled the temple, Solomon blessed the people and the LORD. (a little more detail than in yesterday’s reading.)

2 Chronicles 6:2 – “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hand has fulfilled what He promised with His mouth.”

6:13-14 – “Then he knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said, “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like YOU in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart.”

Next Solomon lists many instances when Israel would need the judgment and forgiveness of their God.

Verse 21 – “And LISTEN to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. And LISTEN from heaven, your dwelling place, and when you hear, FORGIVE.”

Verse 22 – “If a man sins against his neighbor….. then hear from heaven and act and judge….”

Verse 24 – “If your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and they turn again and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house…..the hear from heaven and forgive the sin of your people…”

Verse 26 – “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you…. if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin… then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants…”

Verse 28 – “If there is famine (pestilence, blight, mildew, locust, caterpillar, plague, sickness) in the land….. whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house….. then hear from heaven your dwelling place, and forgive….”

Verse 34 – “If your people go out to battle against their enemies… and they pray to you toward this city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for Your name…. then hear from heaven their prayer and plea, and maintain their cause.

Verse 36 – ‘If they sin against you – FOR THERE IS NO ONE WHO DOES NOT SIN – and You are angry with them and give them to an enemy so that they are carried away captive to a land far or near….. Yet if they turn their heart, repent, plead with you, and pray toward their land, the city, and this house… then hear from heaven…. maintain their cause and forgive your people. 

2 Chronicles 7:1 – “As soon as Solomon finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices.

“When the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His steadfast love (mercy) endures forever.“

Psalm 136 echoes this refrain 26 times after stating the truth about God and all his wonderful acts toward his people through the generations. 

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2 Chronicles 7:11-22  gives God’s response to Solomon’s prayer, with some if/then statements of His own, including a very familiar one about Israel in verse 14. 

"If my people who are called by my name 
humble themselves, 
and pray and seek my face 
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven 
and will forgive their sin
and heal their land."

Then God reminds Solomon about the opposite. 

Verse 19-20. “But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them…. then I will pluck you up from my land that I have given you, and this house that I have consecrated for my name, I will cast out of my sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.”

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 164

Jun12

   Day 164—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading and continue in the History of Israel.

 Day 164 – 1 Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5. (The Ark brought to the Temple, Solomon’s blessings)

These chapters tell of King Solomon now bringing the holy furnishings to the temple he (and his dad) built. He did it the “correct way” – carried by poles on the shoulders of the Levite priests.  

As they came from the heart of the City of David to the Temple Mount, thousands of sacrifices were made for sin and for thanksgiving. This was around the time of the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles. There was great rejoicing and celebration with music and congregational singing as the items were put into the new Temple.

1 Kings 8:9 says that nothing was inside the Ark except the tablets of law that Moses put there.  I wonder what happened to the jar of manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded?

1 Kings 8:4 says that the old Tabernacle (tent) was also brought. I wonder what happened to it. Was it stored in some of those rooms alongside the Temple? A good topic to research, maybe.

When the priests came out of the Holy place, a great cloud of glory – the Shekinah of God – filled the temple, so much that the priests could not go near to minister.  “The glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.”  

And Solomon blesses the LORD before the people, telling them that God had fulfilled His promise to them, for a dwelling place among them.  Then Solomon turns and kneels before the great altar, spreads his arms wide, and offers prayer to the LORD God of Israel.  

"O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth and with your hand and have fulfilled it this day.

"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven, and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built!  

"Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, that your eyes may be open at night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, My name shall be there, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers towards this place,

"And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel when they pray toward this place. 

"And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear......forgive.

Solomon’s prayer then includes all the possibilities of sin and calamity that may (will) befall the people and begs God to HEAR their confession, forgive their sins, and teach them the good way in which they should walk.

Then he turns again to the people and offers a benediction on them, finishing with: “Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandment.”

Then comes the sacrifices and offerings before the LORD almost without number, and a great feast for the entire assembly of Israel for seven days.

After that, the people go home, joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the LORD had shown to David and to Israel His people.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 163

Jun11

   Day 163—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading.

 Day 163 – 1 Kings 7, 2 Chronicles 4. (Solomon’s two building projects: the temple with its furnishings and his own palace complex)

1 Kings 7 begins with how much time King Solomon spent building his palace complex: thirteen years. This is almost twice the time it took to build the temple. There were a couple reasons.

First, Solomon’s father, King David had the plans done, and all the material was collected and ready. Solomon had to do that first for his palace.

Second, the size and number of buildings were greater than that needed for the Temple. Solomon built a Hall of Judgement where he would sit and rule. Behind the Hall was a courtyard that contained his own residence, one for the princess of Egypt and one for his harem. 

1 Kings 7, 2 Chronicles 4. For the Temple and its furnishings, Solomon went bigger and more. The temple itself was three times larger than the Tabernacle (which needed to be portable). The temple had three stories of chambers (Storage? Priest’s rooms?) built on either side, north and south, plus a porch in front with those two huge bronze pillars. 

Instead of one golden candlestick inside the Holy Place, Solomon made ten. He also made ten tables for the shewbread instead of one. Inside the Most Holy Place, he made two statues of cherubim, whose wings spanned over the Arc of the Covenant (almost dwarfed in the 30’x30′ room) and reached to the walls on either side. 

Outside, the altar for sacrifice was 30’x30′ and elevated 15′ high. The basin for washing sacrifices was also multiplied in size. This “sea” held 12,000 gallons of water – almost like an above-ground swimming pool.  He made ten bronze carts with smaller bronze basins, each holding 240 gallons, to supply the “sea.”

The only thing left was to bring in the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD.

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 161 & 162

Jun10

    Day 161 & 162—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading. Praise God!  What have you learned so far about God and his purposes in your life? Share in the comments.

(Note: SUNDAY’s and MONDAY’s readings are combined.)

    Day 161 – Proverbs 22 – 24. (More proverbs and wise sayings, some compiled by Hezekiah)

There are many familiar and quoted proverbs in this section. It’s good to remember they are “wise sayings” that are generally true and meant for godly living, but NOT promises, prophesies or law.

22:1a – “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches…”

22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

22:7b – “…the borrower is the slave of the lender.”

22:13 – “The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”.

22:15 – “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from Him.”   23:13-14 – “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.”

23:4-5 _ “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.”

23:22, 24, 25 – “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him. Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.”

An almost laughable description of a DRUNKARD.

23:29-33 – “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without a cause? Who has redness of eyes?  (It is) Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wind. Do not look at wine when it is red when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly. In the end, it bites like a servant and stings like an adder. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things. You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast. “They struck me” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake? I must have another drink.” 

24:1-2 – “Be not envious of evil men, nor desire to be with them, for their hearts devise violence and their lips talk of trouble.”  24:19-20 – “Fret not yourself because of evildoers and be not envious of the wicked, for the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

24:11, 17-18 – “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.”  “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger.”   (These verses remind me of Jude 22-23 – “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

Instruction learned from the sluggard.

24:32-43 – “Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber and want like an armed man.”

KNOWLEDGE: knowing facts. UNDERSTANDING: knowing what the facts mean. WISDOM: knowing how to apply the facts.

24:3-4 – “By wisdom. a house is built, and by understanding, it is established; by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. 

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    Day 162 – 1 Kings 5 – 6, 2 Chronicles 2 – 3. (Solomon builds the HOUSE OF THE LORD in Jerusalem.)

1 Kings 5 and 2 Chronicles 2.  These two chapters tell of King Solomon’s preparations for building the Temple. His father had collected tons of gold, silver, and precious stones. Now Solomon made a deal with King Hiram of Sidon (Lebanon) to purchase and cut all the cedar and cypress week needed. (It’s a LOT.) They struck a deal. Hiram would send the logs down via the Mediterranean Sea as rafts, and Solomon would supply Hiram with LOTS of grain and oil each month. 

It seems that King Hiram had a great relationship with David and now with his son, Solomon.  And Sidon’s King even had respect for their God. “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who made heaven and earth, who has given King David a wise son, who has discretion and understanding, who will build a temple for the LORD and a royal palace for himself.”  2 Chronicles 2:12. 

Solomon drafted forced labor to be stone cutters and burden-bearers. (1 Kings 5:13-16.)  The account in 2 Chronicles 2:17-18 reports that these 153,500 laborers were “resident aliens who lived in the land of Israel.”

2 Kings 6 and 1 Chronicles 3 describe the details and dimensions of the Temple building and surrounding court, that Solomon built on Mt. Moriah, the land David had purchased from the Jebusite after his ill-fated census taking. It was also where Abraham had attempted to sacrifice his son Isaac, before God provided a ram for the offering.

It was a grand and glorious place, on the pattern of the Temple, only solid. The foundation was made of massive dressed stone (weighing hundreds of tons each). as were the walls, all lined inside with cedar boards and covered with gold. Carved cherubim, palm trees, open flowers, and chains were the gold-covered decorations.   Inside the Most Holy Place two massive cherubim with outstretched wings spread across the 30-foot square room over the “throne of God” (Ark of the Covenant).

Two massive pillars of 4″ thick bronze stood at the front of the temple. They were 52.5 feet tall, with an additional 7-food capital on top decorated with chains like a necklace, lilies, and a hundred pomegranates on the chains.  Solomon named them Jachin (“he shall establish”) and Boaz (in it is strength). 

It took Solomon SEVEN YEARS to start and finish the Temple, the House of God in Jerusalem.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 160

Jun8

   Day 160—We are in the sixth month of Bible reading.  We are continuing to read in the 16th book in the Bible, PROVERBS.  

 Day 160 – Proverbs 19 – 21. (More wisdom & truth from Solomon)

Specific topics are placed randomly in Proverbs. Here are a few from these three chapters.

Wives. 

19:13-14 “A foolish son is a ruin to his father, and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain. House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.”   21:9, 19 “It is better to live in the corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.”

Slander, false witness.

19:5, 9, 28  “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will not escape.”  “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who breathes out lies will perish.”  “A worthless witness mocks at justice and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity.”    20:19 “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets: therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.”  21:28  “A false witness will perish, but the word of a man who hears will endure.”

Sloth and sluggards.

19:15, 24  “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.”  “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.”  20:4, 13  “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will see at harvest and have nothing.”  “Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.”   21:25  “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.”

Wealth, Generosity, and ill-gotten gain 

19:4, 6, 17  “Wealth brings many new friends, but a poor man is deserted by his friends.”  “Many see the favor of a generous man, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.”   “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his deed.”   20:17  “Bread gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward, his mouth will be full of gravel.”  21:6 “The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.”

Man’s plans and God’s purposes.

19:21 “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”  20:22 “Do not say, “I will repay evil,” wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you.” (Romans 12:19)  21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD>”

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 159

Jun7

   Day 159—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading.  We are also reading the 16th book in the Bible this week: PROVERBS.

 Day 159 – Proverbs 16 – 18. (More of Solomon’s words of wisdom)

Chapter 16 shows God’s sovereignty in many of its proverbs. 

Verse 1 – “The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.”    Verse 4 – “The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.”    Verse 9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”    Verse 33 – “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. 

Look to God first in your ways and plans, and he will bless you.

Verse 3 – “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”   Verse 7 – “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”    Verse 20 – “Whoever gives thought to the Word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.”

Sweetness in gracious speech.

Verse 21 – “The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.” Verse 24 – “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.”

“Gray hair is a crown of glory…“

Verse 31a

Chapter 17 contains some very familiar sayings.

Verse 1 – “Better is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting and strive.”

“Grandchildren are a crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”

Verse 7

Verse 9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

Verse 17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Verse 22 – “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

Good words are described, and bad words are illustrated by the fool in Chapter 18.

‘The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.”    “A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a breathing.”   “A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.”    “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”   “If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.”    “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”  (Verses, 4, 6 – 8, 13, 21)

“He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

Verse 22

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 158

Jun6

   Day 158—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading.  We are also reading the 16th book in the Bible this week: PROVERBS.

 Day 158 – Proverbs 13 – 15. (More of Solomon’s general wisdom proverbs)

Chapter 13  again begins with the pride of a father’s wise son. The following pithy, interesting, thought-provoking proverbs cover work, laziness, the mouth or tongue, wealth, and discipline.

13:3 “Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.”

13:4, 11 “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”    “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”    

13:12, 19 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”    “A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.”

13:13-14, 24 “Whoever despises the Word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.”    “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

13:20. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.”

Chapter 14 is eclectic in its topics, but is consistent in its comparisons.  14:1 “The wisest of women builders her house, BUT folly with her own hands tears it down.”  14:4 “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, BUT abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” And notice in 14:11 who has a house and who, a tent. “The HOUSE of the wicked will be destroyed, BUT the TENT of the upright will flourish.”

14:17, 29-30 “A man of quick temper acts foolishly…”    “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”

And two very familiar proverbs:

14:12 “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

14:34 “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

There are many familiar proverbs in Chapter 15 as well, on speaking, praying, cheer, and good temper.

15:1, 4 “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”    “A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.”     

15:13, 15, 30 “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”    All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.”    The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, and good news refreshes the bones.”

15:16, 17 “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is that a fattened ox and hatred with it.”

15:8, 29 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to Him.”    “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.”

And remember, PROVERBS are general rules on righteous living, NOT promises, prophecy, or law.

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, days 157

Jun5

   Day 157—We are in the 6th month of Bible reading.  We are also reading the 16th book in the Bible this week: PROVERBS.  

 Day 157 – Proverbs 10 – 12. (General Proverbs by Solomon)

Today, we leave the specific advice of a wise father to his son in this book and look at Solomon’s more general proverbs. 

Chapter 10. If you underline or take notes, observe how many of them talk about the mouth and what we say.  For instance, in 10:11, “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence,”  and 10:30-31, “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.”

10:1 is a segue from a father’s wise advice to the plain and pithy remaining proverbs of section two.  It says, “A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.”  

Remember, these proverbs are examples of general common sense. They are probabilities, not promises. They are often true, but not always. They are general rules on how to live in a way that honors God and others.

10:4-5: “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.”

10:12: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.”

Chapter 11 contrasts the righteous and upright with the wicked, the generous and stingy, the industrious and the slothful. There are very good truths here, but remember, it doesn’t mean they are promises or prophecies.

11:1:  “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.”

11:2: “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”

11:14: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors, there is safety.”

11:24-25: “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessings will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”

Chapter 12 contains more contrasts in discipline, humility, mercy, truth-telling, and other matters of the heart. Many of these are familiar and have been memorized.

12:1: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.”

12:4: “An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.”

12:9-10: “Better to be lowly and have a servant than to play the great man and lack bread. Whosoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.”

12:20, 35:  “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy.”  “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”

12:28: “In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.”