Proverbs 21: 20-31

²⁰There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise,
But a foolish man swallows it up.
²¹He who pursues righteousness and loyalty
Finds life, righteousness and honor.
²²A wise man scales the city of the mighty
And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
²³He who guards his mouth and his tongue,
Guards his soul from troubles.
²⁴"Proud," "Haughty," "Scoffer," are his names,
Who acts with insolent pride.
²⁵The desire of the sluggard puts him to death,
For his hands refuse to work;
²⁶All day long he is craving,
While the righteous gives and does not hold back.
²⁷The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination,
How much more when he brings it with evil intent!
²⁸A false witness will perish,
But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever.
²⁹A wicked man displays a bold face,
But as for the upright, he makes his way sure.
³⁰There is no wisdom and no understanding
And no counsel against the LORD.
³¹The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But victory belongs to the LORD.

Today's Thought Question:

1. What proverb in today's passage spoke to you and why?
   

It's Sunday. It's a day of worship! A day of rest! Praise the Lord for His presence in this past week and in the week to come. There is no rock, there is no God like our God!

"There is no wisdom and no understanding and no counsel against the LORD." (21:30)

"Nothing clever, nothing conceived, nothing contrived, can get the better of God." (The Message)

Today's message is about hope and surety--and by that I mean something in which we are sure. Not being responsible for someone else's debt!

Apart from God, there is no wisdom. If we use the word wise when speaking of our own thoughts, we are mistaken. If we are advised to pursue the road of goodness and grace by another, yet do not acknowledge the presence of God working through that person's life, we are mistaken. If we create something and do not acknowledge our Creator as the wellspring of inspiration, we are mistaken. This is the crux of Proverbs, and it doesn't hurt to repeat it: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (9:10)

We can be sure that God is in control, ordering our steps. When we embrace His Word and what He tells us about wisdom, we discover so much more about His mighty power in our lives.

What of those who believe they can "get the better of God"? A story from the beginnings of the new church. The Apostles, getting their feet wet in following in the footsteps of their risen Lord. Peter and company were sharing the Good News of Jesus in Jerusalem. They ran into a Sadduccean sect that laid hands on them and sent them to jail.

"The high priest questioned them, saying, 'We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.' But Peter and the apostles answered, 'We must obey God rather than men....'"

"But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, respected by all the people, stood up in the Council and gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. And he said to them, "Men of Israel, take care what you propose to do with these men.

'For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined up with him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.

'So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.'"

--Acts 5: 27-29; 34-39

"...but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness." (21:12, yesterday's post!)

Stand strong then, friends, as our God will not be brought down by anyone or anything. Not before. Not now. Not ever. The plans of the evil ones will be overthrown. As for our plans....

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." (16:3)

Photo: http://media.photobucket.com/image/Peter%20and%20apostles%20before%20high%20priest/mmeyerdc/JesusAnnas.jpg

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Tomorrow's Scripture Focus and Thought Question:

Proverbs 22: 1-9

1. What proverb in today's passage spoke to you and why?
   

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Note: I read from the New American Standard Bible translation, specifically, The MacArthur Study Bible (NASB). I will quote other sources if used in a post.
I also use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (with notes from the King James Version).