Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Proverbs and Jeremiah tidbits

Proverbs 20.7
The righteous man walks in his integrity;
His children are blessed after him.
As I reflected in this verse, it occurred to me that I might be a little more passionate about my children than righteousness and integrity. I suspect that if I have a focus more on my own "tōm" ( H8537 ) then the children will probably be fine. Mulling that thought over.


Proverbs 22.14
"The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there."
Not "will be abhorred if you fall in", but... That's a heavy verse to mull over.


Proverbs 21.3
"To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."
A good Sunday morning verse. Does what happened during the week confirm my words on Sunday morning?


"Faith does not save. Faith in Christ saves" --Todd Aherend @ Tulsa Bible Church mission conference.

Parts of Proverbs 24 are about our relations with adversaries. This is one of them.
17-18 Don’t gloat when your enemy falls, and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, or the LORD will see, be displeased, and turn His wrath away from him. (HCSB)
--> Don't become like your enemy.


Proverbs 23.22-26 emphasize the importance of listening to parents in contrast to 23.29-35 warning against abuse of alcohol.
Where does the statement in 23.27-28 that a harlot/seductress lies in wait as for a victim put the idea of a "victimless crime"?


This is my prayer today for President Obama, Gov. Fallin, & Mayor Bartlett, etc.
Proverbs 25.4-5
Take away the dross from silver,
And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry
Take away the wicked from before the king,
And his throne will be established in righteousness.


This is a classic. Enjoy.
Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!"
He said, "Nobody loves me."
I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes."
I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?"
He said, "A Christian."
I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?"
He said, "Protestant."
I said, "Me, too! What franchise?"
He said, "Baptist."
I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?"
He said, "Northern Baptist."
I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist."
I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?"
He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region."
I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?"
He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912."
I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.


Proverbs 26.7
Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
So it takes wisdom to make a proverbs useful. This seems to allude to the skill needed to make it useful.


Jeremiah 23 was quite a place to land in my Bible reading during a preaching workshop.
16 Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD.
17 They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.' "

Proverbs 27.9 The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
This describes the worshops with the men this week.


 In my ongoing effort to suggest solid baby names from my Bible reading, let me suggest Ahikam, an official in Judah who helped prevent Jeremiah from being "lynched" in Jeremiah 26.24.

Two Proverbs that help explain each other and serve as a good reminder.
Proverbs 28.13-4
He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.
Happy is the man who is always reverent,
But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.


Proverbs 1.30-31
They would have none of my counsel:
they despised all my reproof.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
and be filled with their own devices.
If we don't want to change roads, we will end up where we are going.


Jeremiah 29.11 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
We get all kinds of sentimental ideas about this verse. The context is a message from the Lord via Jeremiah to the Jewish exiles in Bab
Proverbs 3.5-6 seem to be favorites for many people, but the next two are pretty good and seem to give some helpful context. I'm thinking about those today.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones."Babylon who were being punished until the Land had it's Sabbaths. This was a consolation to the exiles (being chastened for there sins) that God would one day restore them. When we are chastened, we should, if His son, have patient confidence in God's good intentions like in Hebrews 11.5-6, 11.


Proverbs 2.1
"My son, if thou wilt receive my words,
and hide my commandments with thee;
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom,
[and] apply thine heart to understanding;

So, we don't just sit passively waiting for something to happen.

35 is one of my favorite chapters in Jeremiah. I imagine that both my sons are glad that the names "Jonadab" and "Recab" were disapproved by their mother.  

Proverbs 3.5-6 seem to be favorites for many people, but the next two are pretty good and seem to give some helpful context. I'm thinking about those today.
"Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
And strength to your bones."


  

Misc thoughts from 2 Chron, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Proverbs

1 Chronicles 6.41 "Now therefore arise, O LORD God, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your might; let Your priests, O LORD God, be clothed with salvation and let Your godly ones rejoice in what is good.
I am thinking about the expression "ark of Your strength." I have generally thought of the ark in terms of mercy, salvation, and a point of god's "presence," so strength is a new association I am ruminating on today. ‪#‎tbcreading‬


I'm thinking today about what it means to "weary God." (Isa. 7.13; Cf. Mal. 2.17). The general idea seems to be when we go along with our lives acting as if God can't or won't act, we make Him tired. There is a difference between looking for God to act and "testing God." Lord, help me to invigorate You with living faith today!

Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun. ---Ecclesiastes 9.9 (NASB)

"And the priests did not say, "Where is the Lord?"
And those who handle the Law did not know Me. --Jer. 2.8
Tomorrow I want to be thinking about where the Lord is in each situation all through the day.


Jeremiah 7:27
"...you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you." So, how do you stay motivated preparing for that sermon?  



Jeremiah 8.9
"Behold they have rejected the Word of the Lord;
So what wisdom do they have?"
That reminds me of Prov 1.7-8 and 1 Cor 2.7-8


Give me eyes to see.
" Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."
Proverbs 17.24


Proverbs 18.24
"A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
I am going with the idea that usually you need to be pleasant or people with not want to be around you, but Christ is that special friend who will never leave nor forsake.


Today I am thinking about why Jeremiah 17.7-8 (Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord) is right next to 9-10 (The heart is deceitful above all things ... Who can know it?). A promise and corresponding caution?

Jeremiah 18.18 identifies the three groups God used to speak to Israel: priests with the law, wise with counsel, and the prophets with a word.

Proverbs 19.27
"Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge."
Application:
Regular time in the Word, consistent church attendance, etc., and maintaining a teachable Spirit are key to staying on the path characterized by God's knowledge.


Maybe the teaching and sermons that make me feel happy are not always what I need (or should give).
Jeremiah 23.16-17
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.' "  The other two themes are that God is against those who disregard others to get what they want because they can (Might does not make right.) and say they are speaking for God when they don't.


Proverbs 20.7
The righteous man walks in his integrity;
His children are blessed after him.
As I reflected in this verse, it occurred to me that I might be a little more passionate about my children than righteousness and integrity. I suspect that if I have a focus more on my own "tōm" ( H8537 ) then the children will probably be fine. Mulling that thought over.


Proverbs 22.14
"The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there."
Not "will be abhorred if you fall in", but... That's a heavy verse to mull over.


Proverbs 23.22-26 emphasize the importance of listening to parents in contrast to 23.29-35 warning against abuse of alcohol.
Where does the statement in 23.27-28 that a harlot/seductress lies in wait as for a victim put the idea of a "victimless crime"?


2 Chron 7.12 " Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him: "I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice."
So not JUST a house of prayer, but a house of 'sacrifice.' cf. Hebrews 13.15-16. I'm thinking today about how that broadens the idea.  


Are your 'servants' happy when they work for you? 2 Chron 9.7-8

2 Chronicles 12.1 is a verse that makes you groan and say, "What WERE you thinking!?" And makes you take careful stock of yourself when you are on top of things.
" Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom and had strengthened himself, that he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel along with him."


A good word for Sunday morning.
"And when Asa heard these words and the prophecy of Obed, the prophet, he took courage..." 2 Chronicles 15.8


Thinking about this one.
"Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?" 2 Chronicles 19.2
(By Hanani to Jehoshaphat re Ahab)


"It's a crime to bore someone with the Word of God" --Howard Hendricks
He must be right, because my mom often made the same point with slightly different wording.


1. Thinking about what make holiness beautiful. 2 Chronicles 20.21
2. "...allied himself with Ahaziah..." Here we go again. This may give a hint what was behind the alliance with Ahab. 2 Chronicles 20.35-37


Jehoshaphat' son, Jehoram: "...and to no one's sorrow he departed."
What a sad dismal end to a wicked life and rule. I am going to be praying for my sons today and thinking about what I still need to do to encourage conditions for them to succeed. 


Forrest Cowan and Leslie McGowan, Mend should think about having a "Jehoshbeath Award." (2 Chron. 22.11) ‪#‎TBCReading‬ 

2 Chronicles 26-28
1) 26.16 should be required memory and meditation work for every man over 40 (sometimes earlier). "But when he was strong his heart was lifted up, to his destruction...
2) I wonder how/why "still the people acted corruptly" even though Jotham did what was right, etc...
3) I would like to recommend naming sons born in this era in the States Azariah, Berechiah, Jehizkiah, and Amasa, and then pray to God they would have the same effect on this country that their namesake did on Israel.


1. Jehoiada's last words as he was treacherously stoned in the temple? "The Lord look on and repay!" Hmmmm...
2. 2 Chron. 30.2. "When you can't do all you should, do what you can." Verse 18 is another thought provoking verse.
3. 30.12. I am trying to think how often "the hand of God" being on people is mentioned in church growth and management books. Hopefully a lot.
4. 32.24. Ugh. Here we go again. "...his heart was lifted up; therefore wrath was looming..." And Hezekiah was about as good of a king as you will get.
5. I have always struggled to reconcile verses 2 and 12-13.


2 Chron 34.3. Josiah began to seek the Lord when he was 16 and apparently had NO Bible to direct him.

2 Chron. 36.16. "...the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy."
Now that verse is a serious downer. I guess that at some point when His own nation has rejected Him for so long and with such vigor it's just too late. 


Isa. 6.1. "...the year that King Uzziah died..."
I am wondering if thee is any connection between the Lord sitting on a throne in the temple being dated by the death of a king that contracted lepercy for trying to burn in incense in the Temple.


Isaiah 8-12
1. Isa. 8.12-13 is a good word for all of you conspiracy theorists.
2. ch. 9: Part of God's punishment of Israel is that they would devour each other. Maybe divisiveness is not the problem, but punishment for the real problem.
3. ch. 11: In "that day" 1) The gentiles will seek Christ. 2) Israel and Judah will be gathered together and dominate the nations around them. 3) Israel will draw from the well of salvation and praise the Lord and make Him known. "That day" will be a great "day."


I have purposed to be a lot more consistent with my Bible reading and to post comments about it often. In the last several days I have read Isaiah's prophecies against Moab, Damascus, Ethiopia, Egypt, the Wilderness of the Sea, Dumah, Arabia,and Kedar. There have been a few glimmers, but that's just a lot of hard sermons.

1 Timothy 6.11-14 "Pursue...fight...lay hold on eternal life" Today in the men's Bible study Daughn Baker reminded us that disTRACTIONs cause is to loose traction in pursuing eternal life. Great group of men and a good time in the Word.

"Their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men." Isa. 29.13
Men can teach us what to say about fearing God. Lord, I need YOU to teach me to fear you in my heart.


Isaiah 32.2 "...a great rock in a weary land."
This reminded me of an old classic hymn with a little different twist in this version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCMeS8ORZw0


If you are working on a name for your church, you should probably take Hymenaeus, Alexader, and Philetus off the list of possibilities. (1 Tim. 1.20; 2 Tim 2.16-17)

Another way we can weary God...
"But you have burdened Me with your sins,
You have wearied Me with your iniquities." Isa.43.24 (but v. 25 is next!!)


Isaiah 59:60
"So the truth fails
And he who departs from evil makes himself a prey..."
A verse for our times. 


Jeremiah
3.3 "You refuse to be ashamed."
4.3 "3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns. ..."
The problem and the solution.


"And the priests did not say, "Where is the Lord?"
And those who handle the Law did not know Me. --Jer. 2.8
Tomorrow I want to be thinking about where the Lord is in each situation all through the day. ‪#‎tbcreading‬ 


Jeremiah 6.15 "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; Nor did they know how to blush."
The more things change the more they stay the same. ‪#‎tbcreading‬ 


Jeremiah 7:27
"...you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you." So, how do you stay motivated preparing for that sermon? 


Jeremiah 8.9
"Behold they have rejected the Word of the Lord;
So what wisdom do they have?"
That reminds me of Prov 1.7-8 and 1 Cor 2.7-8


Jeremiah 10.1
"Do not learn the way of the Gentiles..."


When we sin against the Lord, we are acting against ourselves.
"For the LORD of hosts, who planted you, has pronounced doom against you for the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have done against themselves to provoke Me to anger in offering incense to Baal." Jeremiah 11.17


We will wait on you.
Jeremiah 14.22
22 Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for You, Since You have made all these."


Give me eyes to see.
" Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth."
Proverbs 17.24


Proverbs 18.24
"A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."
I am going with the idea that usually you need to be pleasant or people with not want to be around you, but Christ is that special friend who will never leave nor forsake.


Today I am thinking about why Jeremiah 17.7-8 (Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord) is right next to 9-10 (The heart is deceitful above all things ... Who can know it?). A promise and corresponding caution?

Jeremiah 18.18 identifies the three groups God used to speak to Israel: priests with the law, wise with counsel, and the prophets with a word.
  
 Proverbs 19.27
"Cease listening to instruction, my son,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge."
Application:
Regular time in the Word, consistent church attendance, etc., and maintaining a teachable Spirit are key to staying on the path characterized by God's knowledge.


Maybe the teaching and sermons that make me feel happy are not always what I need (or should give).
Jeremiah 23.16-17
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.' " +Maybe the teaching and sermons that make me feel happy are not always what I need (or should give).
Jeremiah 23.16-17
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the mouth of the LORD. 17 They continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You shall have peace" '; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.' "