Daily Meditations on the Bible / We stand with Israel
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”
From the mouth of the righteous comes the fruit of wisdom,
but a perverse tongue will be silenced.
Summary: Solomon continues to point out the differences between the words of the righteous and the perverse.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:31 — Learning to Speak”
The righteous will never be uprooted,
but the wicked will not remain in the land.
Summary: Having a place to live is important to everyone. The Israelites were descendants of a “wandering Aramean” (Deuteronomy 26:5). God gave them a place to live with the condition that they remembered who gave it to them. Decisions have consequences and their failure to remember God resulted in exile. Today, those in Christ look forward to a new land of our own; heaven.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:30 — Resilience”
The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
but it is the ruin of those who do evil.
Summary: Once again Solomon encapsulates the essence of God’s nature in a few words. Those who turn to God find peace and safety. Those who defy God find judgment.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:29 — Choices”
The prospect of the righteous is joy,
but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.
Summary: This passage brings us back to the spiritual mirror. It reflects both our wicked natures and our righteous hopes. The path we pursue determines the kind of person we are.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:28 — Things”
The fear of the Lord adds length to life,
but the years of the wicked are cut short.
Summary: This proverb addresses the question, “How long will I live?” We all seem to want more life, but the question we have to ask ourselves is, “What does God mean by ‘life’?” As always, God’s perspective is a bit different than ours.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:27 — The Elixir of Life”
As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so are sluggards to those who send them.
Summary: What makes a sluggard a sluggard? The answer is another example of how we need to discern the reasons for a person’s behavior.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:26 — Snail Mail”
When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone,
but the righteous stand firm forever.
Summary: There is an old Chinese curse that goes like this: “May you live in interesting times.” Today we live in such times. These are not times of peace and tranquility. Because of the times, our need to rely on our God is greater than ever.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:25 — The Storm”
What the wicked dread will overtake them;
what the righteous desire will be granted.
Summary: Wickedness is different in God’s eyes from what we humans might call wicked. The greatest sin is ignoring the First Commandment.
Continue reading “Proverbs 10:24 — Mr. X”