Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.
Summary: What was true in Solomon’s time is still true today. Especially when it comes to the deeds of the godless.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:9 — A War of Words”
The righteous person is rescued from trouble,
and it falls on the wicked instead.
Summary: Once again we are confronted with the concept of righteousness. Here we compare our own human efforts at righteousness with Jesus’ perfect righteousness.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:8 — Perfection”
Hopes placed in mortals die with them;
all the promise of their power comes to nothing.
Summary: Today’s passage is profound. It is simple, direct, and powerfully true.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:7 — Hope”
The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
Summary: Righteousness is a challenging topic. On one hand, is the view that because no one is righteous then that means people are incapable of any righteousness. But is that what the Bible says or is that what we want it to say?
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:6 — New Car Smell”
The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
Summary: Repetition is something that we find in Proverbs repeatedly. One reason is that repetition is a teaching tool. Another reason is that there are subtle differences in each iteration that illuminate another aspect of truth.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:5 — The Paths We Trod”
Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
Summary: When God talks to us through his Word, he has to couch his message in terms that we can understand.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:4 — Check-In Time”
The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
Summary: Knowing the right thing to do simplifies life immensely. Choosing to be unfaithful seems to open up more choices, but all of them lead to the same place; destruction.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:3 — On Track”
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
Summary: Pride, disgrace, humility, and wisdom are conditions of the human spirit. We seem to cycle through them as we work our way through life. Understanding the different meanings of the word “pride” helps us to better understand the goal of humility and wisdom.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:2 — Cycles of Life”
The Lord detests dishonest scales,
but accurate weights find favor with him.
Summary: Dishonesty is rarely seen as being dishonest by the person doing the dishonest deed. Rationalizations are easy to come by. We can justify almost anything if we try. Yet God knows what we are doing. He watches us and is mindful of our motives.
Continue reading “Proverbs 11:1 — Rational Rations”
The lips of the righteous know what finds favor,
but the mouth of the wicked only what is perverse.
Summary: Following the crowd is something we humans do well. Like sheep following the sheep in front or geese flying in formation, we rarely step out on our own. This is why it is so important for us to pick the right group to follow. We need to seek the righteous and avoid the wicked.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:32 — Sheep”