Proverbs 29: 10-18

¹⁰Men of bloodshed hate the blameless,
But the upright are concerned for his life.
¹¹A fool always loses his temper,
But a wise man holds it back.
¹²If a ruler pays attention to falsehood,
All his ministers become wicked.
¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:
The LORD gives light to the eyes of both.
¹⁴If a king judges the poor with truth,
His throne will be established forever.
¹⁵The rod and reproof give wisdom,
But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
¹⁶When the wicked increase, transgression increases;
But the righteous will see their fall.
¹⁷Correct your son, and he will give you comfort;
He will also delight your soul.
¹⁸Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is he who keeps the law.

Today's Thought Question:

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

"The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives light to the eyes of both." (vs. 13)

A couple of chapters back, in chapter 22, Solomon gave us this thought: "The rich and the poor have a common bond, the LORD is the maker of them all." (vs.2) This is a follow-up to that thought. Sometimes, these are difficult thoughts to fully accept.

Not only did our Lord make both the poor man and the oppressor, but He chooses to give light to the eyes of both. We might think, but how? Why? But, no... God can show His grace and His power through anyone or anything, and it is definitely not our place to question anything about His ways.

The prophet Ezra was confronted with a situation in which the people of Israel had been marrying within nations of people that were not God-loving people. In his extreme distress over the situation, he tore his clothes, pulled out his hair and had some major prayer time with God.

"But now for a brief moment grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a peg in His holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage."

--Ezra 9:8

What I like about this passage is that it's God's chosen ones, the people of Israel, who have strayed. God does demonstrate His grace, even when it seems inappropriate. How many nonbelievers have influenced you in your life? Think about how God uses those "unusable" people to reach us. You might be surprised as you think in retrospect.

The Lord gives light "to the eyes." The expression in the Hebrew means "spring of water" or "fountain (eye of the landscape)." [Strong's] The passage doesn't say that God enlightens their hearts. It's almost as though His presence is something that needs to be seen, to be recognized.

I don't think you wake up one morning and suddenly have God's wisdom sitting in your heart--surely, not without having asked for it or sought it. God's giving light through the eyes, however, allows one to see, to be a witness to the presence of God, and the "windows to the soul" might well accept the light, and see that it is good.

"Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; enlighten my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death...."

--Psalm 13:3

Photo: http://oneyearbibleimages.com/eye.jpg

* * *

Tomorrow's Scripture Focus and Thought Question:

Proverbs 29: 19-27 (of the transcribed proverbs of Solomon)

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

* * *

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).

Proverbs 29: 1-9

Proverbs 29

Warnings and Instructions

¹A man who hardens his neck after much reproof
Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
²When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
But when a wicked man rules, people groan.
³A man who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
But he who keeps company with harlots wastes his wealth.
⁴The king gives stability to the land by justice,
But a man who takes bribes overthrows it.
⁵A man who flatters his neighbor
Is spreading a net for his steps.
⁶By transgression an evil man is ensnared,
But the righteous sings and rejoices.
⁷The righteous is concerned for the rights of the poor,
The wicked does not understand such concern.
⁸Scorners set a city aflame,
But wise men turn away anger.
⁹When a wise man has a controversy with a foolish man,
The foolish man either rages or laughs, and there is no rest.

Today's Thought Question:

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

Blogging from a remote location today, and my resources are limited! (Internet connectivity very sketchy; access denied.) Keep pluggin’ despite me!

“Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.” (vs. 8, KJV)

Scornful men or scoffers do not come with welcoming words. Yet another expressive definition from the Hebrew: “into a snare” implies kindling a fire! The scoffer’s hot air is so heavy and strong that the city is set ablaze as a wildfire.

Fools either rush into laughter or into a rage, yes? (vs. 9) The scoffer can bring down our house with a few fiery blows. We often get singed, but we need to think back upon our solid foundation and realize that God will keep our houses from falling—the best home insurance ever!

And what is the response of the wise man? Perhaps, even before our houses are affected, we can act out of wisdom and turn away the wrath of the scoffer. Truly, no one wants to be angry. Circumstances drive some to use anger to persuade, to boast of their excellence—really, to shield everyone from their insecurities and lack of wisdom. So, knowing this, and knowing that God is the source of all wisdom (not to mention that He wants us to love) can we turn to God in an effort to steer the scoffer’s anger off the track?

Remember Solomon’s words to us earlier—that we are to be slow to anger, those rich in wisdom. The more we take our time, and use our hearts over our emotions, the more open that channel for Wisdom to flow—extinguishing the fires of the scoffer!

* * *

Tomorrow's Scripture Focus and Thought Question:

Proverbs 29: 10-18 (of the transcribed proverbs of Solomon)

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

* * *

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).