Tag Archive | wisdom

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 169

Jun18

Day 169.  Reading Proverbs 27 – 29

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
What truth about God in the Proverbs stays in your mind?
 

Proverb 27.

Friends 

  • Verse 6 – “Faithful are the wounds of a friend…
  • Verse 9 – “Oil and perfume make the heart gland, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
  • Verse 10. “Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend…
  • Verse  17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

A quarrelsome wife

  • Verses 15-16 – “A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike; to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in one’s right hand.

.

Proverb 28.

Various kinds of people

  • Verse 3 – “A poor man who oppresses the poor is a beating rain that leaves no food.
  • Verse 5 – “Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it completely.
  • Verse 6 – “Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
  • Verse 11 – “A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.
  • Verse 20 – “A faithful man will about with blessings, but whosoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.
  • Verse 22 – “A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.
  • Verse 25 – “A greedy man stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the LORD will be enriched.

.

Proverb 29.

Warnings…

  • Verse 1 – “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
  • Verse 9 – “If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.
  • Verse 12 – “If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.
  • Verse 16 – “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
  • Verse 20 – “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more home for a fool than for him.
  • Verse 21 – “Whoever pampers his servant from childhood will in the end find him his HEIR (and not a faithful servant). 

.

Solomon still ponders the good, the bad, the ugly, the humorous, and the serious in his proverbs. He’s learned a lot in his dealings with the people of his kingdom. How much will he apply to his own life?  Will he die a wise man?

(LORD, help me to learn from Your Word about wisdom, righteousness, humility, and kindness to others, and how to apply these to my life.)

  • Psalm 90:12 – “Teach me to number my days that I may get a heart of wisdom.
  • James 1:5 – “If any lack wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all with out reproach.
  • James 3:17 – “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 161

Jun10

Day 161.  Reading Proverbs 22 – 24.

Read Today’s Scriptures.

WHAT truths have you learned about God, His Word, everyday living, or God’s Sovereignty from Solomon’s proverbs so far?

Proverbs 22.

Insights to ponder—

  • Your good name is better than getting rich.
  • God makes both the rich AND the poor.
  • One who borrows is a slave to the one who lends (so watch out about too much debt on your credit card!)
  • Don’t be friends with an angry person because you’ll learn to be angry, too. (The same goes for one who swears, tells off-color jokes, is malicious, rude, or mean, etc.)
  • (Humor) An excuse for not going to work for the lazy person is, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the street!”
  • Train your kids in God’s ways and His Word.
  • Don’t be afraid to spank your kids when they act foolishly.

Then Solomon says, “I’ve written for you 30 sayings (chapters) of counsel and knowledge.”  Why did he write this book? “So your trust will be in the LORD.”

.

Proverbs 23.

There are some interesting pieces of advice from King Solomon in this chapter about dining with wealthy, powerful, or influential people. 

  • Use restraint in eating their delicacies (they may be trying to bribe you).
  • Don’t assume they are “treating” you because they like you, for they are probably inwardly calculating how to trap/use you.
  • “Eat and drink!” your host may say, but desist. You’ll end up vomiting if you eat/drink too much (and how will that look?).

Solomon also expands on the relationship between parents and children.

  • Don’t be afraid to spank your children as a part of their discipline.  They won’t die, though their yells may sound like it.
  • Children should listen to and respect their fathers and mothers when they are old.
  • Children, be wise and righteous so your parents will be glad and rejoice over you.

Then Solomon writes seven vivid (humorous if it weren’t so sad) verses about what happens to a person when they get DRUNK.  (Do we really want to look, act, and feel that way???)

  • Wounds without cause, red eyes, it’s smooth going down but with a serpent’s sting at the end.
  • Seeing strange things, speaking vile words, staggering, dizzy, numb.
  • And when they awake? Proof of addiction.  “I must have another drink!

(I wonder if Solomon observed this or experienced it.)

.

Proverbs 24.

Solomon built his own palace and the Temple of God. He watched, read the plans his father drew up, and organized the building materials. (TOMORROW, WE WILL SEGUAY TO 1 KINGS AND 2 CHRONICLES FOR A FEW DAYS TO READ ABOUT THAT GREAT WORK.)

Meanwhile, in this chapter, he speaks of other building projects.

  • Verse 27.  He advises getting your fields in order (fences, plowing, and planting) first and then building your house.
  • Verses 3-4.  Solomon compares spiritual education to building your house.  “Wisdom is a house built, and by understanding, it is established; and by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”  
  • Knowledge = the facts of God’s truth,
  • Understanding = the meaning of the truth,
  • Wisdom = the application of the truth.

.

I love verses 13-14. “Eat honey, for it is good. The drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. Wisdom is like honey to your soul. If you find it, there will be a future and a hope.”

This reminds me of the words of Solomon’s father, David, in Psalm 19, speaking of the wisdom (all the law) of the Lord. “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”

(Do I seek for that sweetness of God’s Word and truth?

Do I desire His wisdom, understanding, and knowledge like a taste of honey? 

LORD, oh, help me to long for Your word and to “devour” it constantly.)

.

Solomon also writes about our responsibility to help others in physical or spiritual distress.

  • Proverbs 24:11-12.  “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not He who weighs the heart perceive it?  Does not He who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will He not repay man according to his work?”

Many prophets in the Old Testament warn about the responsibility of being a watchman and telling others about approaching disaster.  Jesus’ brother, Jude, urges this too.

  • 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.”

Salvation should not mean complacency. Love for our Lord and others (friend or enemy) should always guide us.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 159 & 160

Jun9

Sunday and Monday studies are posted together on Mondays

Day 159. Reading Proverbs 16 – 18.

Day 160.  Reading Proverbs 19 – 21

Read Today’s Scriptures.
What insight or joy do you receive?
 
Day 159 – Proverbs 16.

God is sovereign in all things. Did you see that in this chapter?

  • 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.” (Think Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar, or Cyrus) 
  • 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.’

I can trust God’s perfect will and way for my good and His glory!

And a few proverbs that you’ve probably heard quoted:

  • Verse 7. “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
  • Verse 18. “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”  

(Has that ever happened to you?  I’m guilty of pride, and often, I find myself on the ground with muck on my face!!)

  • Verse 24. “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” 

(Try this today when you want to lash out and see the joy it brings to the other person AND yourself!)

  • Verse 31. (I love this one!) “Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

(My life is only righteous through the Lord Jesus Christ, but I’m glad that even Solomon did not find grey hair disgusting!)

.

Proverbs 17.

  • Here’s another of the “better” proverbs. Verse 1. “BETTER is a dry morsel with quiet than a house full of feasting with strife.” (also 15:17)
  • I love this one, being a great-grandma of six. Verse 6. “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”
  • A proverb against GOSSIP!  Verse 9. “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

(Oh, LORD, gossip is so tempting, so self-exulting, so delicious, and we can hide its malicious intent by saying we are “sharing a prayer need.”  Father, keep me from such heinous foolishness today!!)

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

(I’ve always wondered what the second part of this proverb meant.  Well, you can lean on a friend through thick and thin, but it is a brother, a relative, who will stand with you in true trouble.  “Blood is thicker than water,” they say.  I’m so thankful that Jesus is both a friend AND brother to the believer.)

  • Want to seem wise?  According to verse 28, just keep your mouth closed. 

Yes, it can be difficult at times. But why open it and prove your foolishness?  (Me?  Yep, I have deeply regretted a word (or many more) spoken when I should have kept silent.)

.

Proverbs 18.

This chapter has many of the points (truths) from the previous chapters. (Don’t you wish Solomon would have grouped all the similar ones together?  Ah, but then, would we search the verses so carefully?)

A FOOL AND HIS MOUTH

  • Verse 6-7 “A fool’s LIPS walk into a fight, and his MOUTH invites a beating.”  “A fools’ MOUTH is his ruin, and his LIPS are a snare to his soul.” 

GOSSIP

  • Verse 8. “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels, they go down into the inner parts of the body.”

PRIDE

  • Verse 12.  “Before destruction, a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.”

FRIENDS/BROTHERS

  • Verse 24. “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” 

This reminds me again of our Lord Jesus Christ’s words in John 15:12-17. 

  • “This is my commandment, that you love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. YOU ARE MY FRIENDS if you do what I command you (love one another). No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I HAVE CALLED YOU FRIENDS, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.   You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you.  These things I command you will love one another.”

###

 
Day 160 – Proverbs 19-21.
 

Lots more wisdom in these three chapters, many repeated with a few different words. 

  • Verse 3. “When A MAN’s (own) folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against THE LORD!” 

 Have you ever seen this?  Have you ever blamed God for your own foolishness?  I can recall this in my own life, oh, fool that I am!

Wives, who wants them? Who can do without them?

  • Verse 13b. “a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.” Yikes!!
  • Verse 21:9. “It is BETTER to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife!”
  • Verse 21:19. “It is BETTER to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.”

However…

  • Verse 19:14, “House and wealth are inherited from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the LORD.”  YAY!

And, on the OTHER hand…

  • Verse 20:6, “Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a FAITHFUL MAN who can find?”

On keeping silent…

  • Verse 21:23. “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”  Amen!

God’s Sovereignty…

  • Verse 19:21. “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”
  • Verses 21:30-31. “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. The horse is made ready for battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD.”

The lazy sluggard …

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

Then, there are several proverbs concerning “a king.”  I wonder if Solomon is describing himself and his own rule…

  • Verse 19:12. “A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.”
  • Verse 20:2. “The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger forfeits his life.”
  • Verse 20:8.  “A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes.”
  • Verse 20:26. “A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.”  OH MY!!
  • Verse 20:28.  “Steadfast love and faithfulness preserve the king, and by steadfast love, his throne is upheld.”
  • Vere 21:1. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He will.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 158

Jun7

Day 158.  Reading Proverbs 13 – 15

Read Today’s chapters.

Pithy, sharp, and true truths, which stood out to you?

Proverbs 13.

Four times in this chapter, Solomon says that when “whoever” (not the righteous or wise and not the foolish) but whoever does a particular thing (good or bad), that person experiences a matching result. Then, in the second part of the verse, the opposite is shown.

Check out Verses 3, 13, 20, and the familiar, 24

  • verse 3 – WHOEVER guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
  • verse 13 – WHOEVER despises the Word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
  • verse 20 – WHOEVER walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
  • verse 24 – WHOEVER spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

ANY OF SOLOMON’S READERS, then and now, can fall into these traps of 1) not guarding our speech, 2) despising (being offended by) the Word, 3) congregating with fools, and 4) not disciplining our children.

I am a “whoever,” and you are a “whoever,” too.   May we heed Solomon’s wise warnings.

.

Proverbs 14.

There are several familiar quotations in Chapter 14.

When my husband and I ran a horse-boarding business, verse 4 became a humorous, oft-quoted saying between us.  Twice daily, we had to clean out and carry away the muck of nine horse stalls.  We would remind ourselves…

  • “Where there are no oxen (horses), the manger is clean, but abundant crops (our earnings) come by the strength of oxen (boarding horses).”  In essence, “dirty” stalls equaled money.

And verse 12 is often quoted when we share the Gospel of Christ with people who think they don’t need the Lord Jesus to get to heaven. They can manage okay on their own good works…

  • “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.”

And in patriotic meetings or on holidays, we quote verse 34.

  • “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

.

Proverbs 15.

  • “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”  and  “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

Have you seen this happen?  Have you ever heeded this good advice of a ‘soft answer’ and being ‘slow to anger’ in a situation?  What happened?

LORD, help me remember these “better” truths when I wish I had more “stuff.”

  • “BETTER is a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble with it.”  and  “BETTER is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fattened ox and hatred with it. 

###

LORD, I love how these pithy and even humorous proverbs convict us when we let the truths sink in. YOUR WORD, is truly “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.”

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 151

May31

Day 151.  Reading 1 Kings 3-4.

Read Today’s Scriptures.
What do you see of God’s heart in these chapters?
1 Kings 3.

What??  Marry the daughter of Pharaoh!!  Where God had delivered His people from slavery??? Seriously??  Bad boy, Solomon!  What was he thinking?  Political alliances and stature in the world, that’s what.

Note verse 3.  “Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of David, his father …  ONLY (except), he sacrificed and made offerings at the high places.” Already, you see Solomon’s heart dividing, using those pagan places to “worship God.”

God is SO gracious to him (and to us). He came to Solomon in a dream, and asked what He could give to the new king.

  • Wow, what would I ask of God if given that opportunity?  Search your heart with me, and let’s see our priorities. What is important to us?

Solomon lists the kindnesses and love God had shown to his father, how David had walked in God’s ways, and how God had chosen

Solomon to rule. (Was he stalling, thinking of what he wanted?)  And then he thinks of his inexperience and the hugeness of his responsibility to God’s chosen people.

“Give your servant an understanding mind to govern Your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this Your great people?”  (In my mind, he should have asked to discern between good and evil IN HIS OWN HEART!)

But God was pleased that he hadn’t asked for a long life, riches, or victory over enemies.  And God gave him a “wise and discerning mind like none other.”  God also gave him what he didn’t ask for: riches and honor greater than any other king.

“And if you will walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Right after that, Solomon went to the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, offered sacrifices to God, and gave a feast to the people.  His heart is right NOW. Will he continue on?

  • As if to confirm to the people (and maybe Solomon himself) a situation arose that tested and highlighted the extensive WISDOM God had given him.  Two prostitutes (living together, perhaps even with others) came to Solomon, both claiming the baby boy they brought was THEIRS.  They’d both given birth, but in the night, one baby got suffocated when one of them rolled over onto him.

How do you tell the true mother?

  • Solomon quickly identified her by exposing the women’s hearts.  “Get a sword and cut the baby in half. Give a half to each woman.”  YIKES!  The un-mother agreed (the boy wasn’t hers, after all.)  But the true mother cried out to keep him alive, even if it meant giving him away. Solomon saw her love and settled the dilemma.

“And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.”

.

1 Kings 4.

This chapter is loaded with statistics and praise for King Solomon.  It gives a glowing overview of his kingdom and rule. (The next chapter begins the construction of the Temple,)

Much like David, Solomon appointed high officials, including the priests, secretaries, recorder, army commanders, other officers, governors over other lands, people in charge of the palace, and the … forced labor.  He also appointed leaders around the country who would provide his food for himself and his palace, month by month.  Judah and Israel ate and drank and were happy.

  • “Solomon ruled (eventually) over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt.  They brought tribute and served him all his days.”

He had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety from Dan to Beersheba (north to south), with every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

Ah-oh! Wait!  “Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen!!!

  • Didn’t we read in Deuteronomy 17:16 God’s rules and cautions about future kings… “He must not acquire many horses for himself or return to Egypt to acquire many horses.”  And… don’t we also read there in verse 17, “He shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away.  NOR shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold ….”

And again, this chapter tells of Solomon’s wisdom (in ruling others, it seems).  “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand of the seashore, so that Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of the people of the East and all Egypt.

“Solomon also spoke 3,000 proverbs!   He wrote 1,005 songs. (We will read some of these soon.)

People of all nations and kings of the earth came to hear the wisdom of Solomon.

.

  • Oh, LORD, how easy it is to turn from loving and serving YOU to loving the things you give us.  Help me not to value “stuff” more than my relationship with You. Solomon had everything in abundance … and it did turn his heart away.  In Ecclesiastes, he said (late in his life) that all he experienced, and possessed,  and was honored for … was vanity … futility.  ONLY YOU are worth my adoration!

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 12 & 13

Jan13

Days 12 & 13. Reading in Job 32 – 34 and 35 – 37. (Posted on Monday.)

I invite you to read the scripture for the day and write “in the comments” what you found meaningful. We can encourage each other.

.Job 32.

There’s a new guy on the block. Elihu has been there the whole time, but as the youngest, he’s kept quiet until now. His views differ from the three “wise” old men who spoke before him.

“I am young in years, and you are aged. Therefore, I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you.”  “It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.  Therefore, listen to ME. Let ME also declare my opinion.“

He says he’s about to burst from waiting to answer! “I MUST speak, that I may find relief; I MUST open my lips and answer. I will not use flattery toward ANY person.”

Oh, dear. I’m not sure I want to hear what this young whippersnapper will say.

  • Lord, help me remember that wisdom comes from YOU. You are the only wise God. Help me not to disdain either the aged or the young enthusiast or to center my whole life on the words of one person/group. May I always look to You and your Word with help from the Holy Spirit.

Job 33. 

Right off, Elihu puts Job at ease, identifying with him as one also is “pinched off from the piece of clay.”  He’s human, fallible. He assures Job he has no need to fear him as his words will not be heavy on him. But he tells Job he’s wrong in saying God does not answer him.

Elihu lists two ways that God speaks to man. 1) in dreams or visions, God warns man. 2) in pain, God rebukes man.  Hmmm.

He tells Job that God allows suffering to bring a person to Himself and for spiritual benefit. (This seems true, at least in my own life.) Then Elihu offers Job a chance to speak. If not, Elihu tells Job to listen, “for I will teach you wisdom.”

Job 34.

Elihu then goes on with HIS speech to both Job and the other three men.  He gets a lot correct, but there are some parts he mis-remembers, attributing to Job what his other “comforters” said. (For example, Job said he was sinless, which he did not claim.)  However, Elihu does mention some pretty awesome truths about God in his speech, saying He is just, holy, impartial, and omniscient.

Sadly, Elihu starts to echo the three who went before him, “Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight. I would that Job was tried to the end because he answers like a wicked man. He adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.”  (Sigh.)

(Three more chapters of Elihu tomorrow.)

.

Job 35.

“Shame on you, Job.” is basically what Elihu says (in his wisdom). He tells Job that it doesn’t matter if he sinned or not because God is ‘too high’ to be affected by them. “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him?”

He tells Job why God does not answer his prayers and questions. It’s because of pride (vs. 35:12), a wrong motive, and he’s not patient enough.  Oh, Elihu, you are not so wise as you say. YOU don’t know much about Job’s condition either. It’s your own “human” understanding. 

  • Lord, I am like Elihu sometimes, if only in my thoughts. I think I can figure out “the mind of God” by my own human reasoning. “SURLY, this must mean that!” I say.  Humble me, Lord. Your ways and thoughts are so much higher than mine.  Teach me not to judge. Teach me to wait. Help me see my own needs.

Job 36.

Now that Elihu has leveled Job to the ground, he presumes to instruct Job about God’s opinion. (“I have yet something to say on God’s behalf.”) He now seems no different from the three older gentlemen before him. THEN he adds the words that make me choke. “For truly, my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.”   What???  Poor Job.

But Elihu does say something new in verse 15. “He (God) delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity.” 

  • Suffering, trials, and persecution do make us more open to God’s words. Sometimes, that’s the only time I will listen. A gentle tap on the shoulder will go unnoticed, but a “slap up alongside my head” will get my attention.  Illness, sorrow, or a rebuke from a loved one will undoubtedly send me to prayer and His word. Why is this so? Oh, Lord, soften my heart!

Job 37.

Elihu then “waxes eloquent” about the majesty of God in creation. This is wonderful to read. All creation does reveal God like Psalm 8 says,  “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set Your glory above the heavens.” (vss. 1-2)  “When I look at Your heavens the work of Your fingers, the moon, and stars, which You have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (vss.3-4)  

Elihu reminded Job (and us) that all the mighty things God does in the heavens and with weather are for a purpose. “Whether for correction or for His land, or for love, He causes it to happen.” (vs. 13)

  • Wow. I had to stop and think about this. Yes, I believe God is totally sovereign in all things. Yes, there is always a purpose to what He does (His glory and our good, according to Romans 8:28), although, like Job, we may never know (can’t even begin to comprehend) what that is. 
  • Just now (January 2025), I’m thinking of the total disasters that wind and fires have brought to Los Angeles County in the last week.  God is sovereign. This fiery “apocalypse” was NOT out of His control. Many do and will ask, “Why?” (And many will gladly place the “blame” on anyone.) It is a “wake-up” call, whether to the hearts of believers and unbelievers or merely to earthly officials and their responsibilities.
  • Job didn’t know the reason for his suffering (or for his friends’ badgering, for that matter). But we get a glimpse of the purpose in the first chapters. That in Heaven, before the evil one, GOD GETS GLORY for Job’s faith in his suffering. 

Thank you, God, for using Elihu to say this one thing, if nothing else. 

And it’s good that this young, wise “kid” ends his speech by pointing Job (and us) to God and His Majesty because God stands ready to speak in the next four chapters.  ARE WE READY TO HEAR?

 

…

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 10

Jan10

Day 10. Reading in Job 24 – 28. 

I invite you to read the scripture for the day and write “in the comments” what was meaningful to YOU. We can encourage each other in Him.

.

Job 24.

Job continues to refute Eliphaz’s statement that the wicked are punished for their sins and suffer (i.e. himself).

LOOK at the rich, he says, they do NOT suffer! They prosper, even though they do the very things God hates (mistreatment of the poor, widows, and orphans as well as freely committing murder, theft, and adultery). They grow richer, more powerful, and successful. 

Job’s accusation to God is quite bitter in verse 12. “…God charges no one with wrong.” But in verse 24 he seems to renege. “They (wicked) are exalted a little while, and then they are gone; they are brought low and gathered up like all others.”

  • I often vacillate like Job, thinking all the millionaires and billionaires of the world just keep getting richer and do not suffer for the way they cheat and treat others.  But, when I study Revelation, I also see God’s wrath.  He will judge, we can be sure of that!  But right now, he is “patient, not willing that any perish.” 
  • And who am I that I should escape judgment. ONLY BY HIS MERCY and GRACE in “His looking at Jesus and forgiving me” do I have hope.

Job 25.

Bildad’s third comeback is brief. “Dominion and fear are with God. He has might. He is Light.”   “How can man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm.” …be right before God?

Job 26.

A brief reply by Job magnifies the Lord God, showing His power and wisdom in creation. Job even states two modern truths 1) the earth “hangs” in space. It’s not held up by an elephant or the shoulders of Atlas, and 2) the earth is a circular globe and NOT FLAT. (vss. 7, 10)

 (This chapter is only a portion of his reply to Bildad (and the others) that covers chapters 26-31.)

Job 27.

Curiously, Job here defends his own integrity. He says nothing he has done has caused this great calamity to come on him. (And he is correct.)  Not bragging in himself, nevertheless he says “I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go: my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.”

  • This is actually how we should resist the devil when he comes to us with accusations. If we have confessed and repented of our sin, his accusations are not valid. We should “resist him.” The Holy Spirit will “convict” us of sin and send us to the cross of Christ. But Satan “accuses” us of sin and offers no hope.

In contrast, Job asks, “What is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life?” 

  •   Job 27:19-23 says, “He goes to bed rich, but will do so no more; he opens his eyes, and his wealth is gone. Terrors overtake him like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries him off. The east wind lifts him up and he is gone; it sweeps him out of his place. It hurls at him without pity; he flees from its power in headlong flight. It claps its hands at him and hisses at him from its place.” 

WHOA!   These verses emphasize to me to speed with which our “stuff” can be gone.  These remind me so much of the catastrophe which has hit the Los Angeles area just this week, where, in just hours, thousands of people have lost all they have in wind-blown fires.  The Palisades Fire completely burned up a very high-end, wealthy neighborhood over night with 100 MPH winds whipping flames out of control.

  • Father, give me compassion for all these people!  And keep me from holding my “stuff” tight and depending on it.  May I look ALONE to You, God, from where everything comes, even my life,

Job 28.

Job now tells his “friends” about wisdom. (His is no less that what they claim theirs to be.)  Their advanced ages do not automatically produce wisdom.  In verses 12-18, he asks twice, “Where shall wisdom be found? From where does wisdom come?

In these verses, he sounds like Solomon in Proverbs 1:7 – 2:9.  Wisdom is worth more than silver and gold. It’s more precious than onyx, sapphire, and other precious jewels. It’s price is above pearls, crystal, coral, and topaz.

So where can one get such a precious commodity? Job tells us in verse 29. “Behold, the FEAR OF THE LORD, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.”  (See Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

 

2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 171

Jun19

   Day 171—We are in the sixth month of Bible reading.  We are reading in the book of ECCLESIASTES, the last of the books of “wisdom.”

 Day 171 – Ecclesiastes 7 – 12. (More wisdom, parables, & truth from Solomon.)

Chapters 7 and 10 are full of sayings that are reminiscent of the book of Proverbs. 

7:1 – A good name is better than precious ointment…

7:9 – Be not quick in your spirit to become angry…

7:20 reminds me of Romans 3:10-23: “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.”

In his old age, Solomon seems increasingly concerned with death. 8:8 “No man has the power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death.”  8:4-5 “…a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward…”

Solomon almost seems bitter in his advice to the young. 9:7-10.  “Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do. Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head. Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your vain life that He has given you under the sun because that is your portion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the grave), to which you are going.”

I chuckle at 10:20 about “a little birdy told me.”  “Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king, nor in your bedroom curse the rich, for a bird of the air will carry your voice, or some winged creature will tell the matter.” 

Then, so very WISE advice to the young men that Solomon now seems to envy. 11:9 – “REJOICE, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all theses things God will bring you to judgment.”

Instead, 12:1 says, “REMEMBER also your Creator in the days of your youth…”

Then Solomon writes a beautiful but humorous allegory of extreme old age in 12:1b-7 See if you can see how he has pictured:

weak muscles and bones,

loose teeth,

dimmed eyesight,

hearing loss,

poor sleep,

fear of heights,

graying hair,

loss of desire,

a broken, bent back,

mind and heart failure,

and final death.

THEN, it seems as if he shakes himself from all this melancholy and writes an epilogue… and THE final word of wisdom.

He enjoyed teaching people knowledge, and studying and arranging many proverbs. He sought out words of delight and wrote words of truth. He cautions his son about seeking MORE than all this he has written and of “making many books of which there is no end.” You can almost hear Solomon sigh, “Much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

BUT the truth to remember in all this folly, vanity, and meaninglessness IS: “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.”

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.”