Proverbs 17
Scripture
Proverbs 17:12 NIV-
“Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.”
Observation-What does it say?
King Solomon continues with sharing his wisdom in Proverbs. “Solomon wrote it with his descendants and the young men in Israel in mind (biblestudy.org-Who wrote the book of Proverbs?).”
Understanding-What does it mean?
The Bible is serious about choosing the way of the wise instead of a fool. So serious in fact that it says it’s better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly.
Have you ever heard the term, you don’t want to see mama bear come out? As a mom to 2 kids, the protective nature of a mother to her child is extreme and I didn’t understand that until I became a mother. I’m not proud of this, but I’ve lost self control and yelled at a couple people (in positions of authority) because I felt my kids were being wrongfully attacked. It's not wise to make a protective mama angry.
My husband also used to work as a meter reader and he told me that the most vicious dogs were the female dogs who were protecting their pups. He would always have to find alternative ways to read those house meters because you were just asking to get bit if you entered their territory.
As scary as a protective mama bear is, it’s not as scary as a fool bent on folly. For example, Scripture says that a fool gives full vent to his anger (Proverbs 29:11 NIV), so essentially, a fool’s anger is worse than a mama bear protecting her cubs. That same Scripture says that the WISE bring calm in the end.
Life Application
Keep company with those who are wise, instead of those who continue to have a bent towards foolishness.
We must be careful with the company we keep and who we allow to influence our lives. Also, we must be aware of whether we are the ones acting like a fool. It's important to make the necessary changes and learn from our mistakes. We don’t want to be the person that the Bible instructs others to run from.
Dear Lord, You appointed King Solomon to write the Proverbs to offer wise counsel, not foolish counsel. It is clear that You make many distinctions between wise and foolish choices and the consequences of each. I pray that we would always seek to live our lives wisely so that others would be drawn to You instead of away from You. Amen.
-Michelle Gaddi
Proverbs 16
Scripture
Proverbs 16:3,9
3Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Observation
Solomon continues sharing his God-given wisdom, specifically as it relates to the plans we make. If we want our plans to succeed, it's time to lean in close and really consider these verses.
Understanding
Have you ever had something not go according to plan? Several years ago I was putting my son Noah to bed and before we prayed together I asked him, “What do you think you’re going to do tomorrow?” He replied after a short pause, “I’m going to Disneyland.” I chuckled, “I don’t think so. You have preschool tomorrow.” “No, I’m going to go to Disneyland.” Well you can guess what happened the next day. Let’s just say he was disappointed when I made him bring his backpack when we left the house that morning.If he wanted things to go according to his expectation and plan, he should have planned to do what I told him. It’s a simple analogy. We can plan whatever we want, but ultimately it’s the Father's plans that will succeed and be carried out. So if we want our plans to be established and for things to go according to our expectations, there’s only one way that will happen: Align our plans with God’s plans. Live for God’s glory and not our personal happiness.
The Message Version puts verse 3 this way:
Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. If we let God sit on the decision making seat of our life, if we put him in charge of making the plans, only then can we know that our planning isn’t a waste of time.
Life Application
God, I seek you for your will for my life. Grant me and your church wisdom and guidance and help us to do your will. We commit all our plans to you! Give us the strength today to die to our desires and to live to glorify you. Amen.
- Levi Thompson
Proverbs 15 - 8.26.21
Scripture - What stood out?
Proverbs 15:1,4,8,32,33
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Observation - What does it say?
In this chapter Solomon continues to teach us about God’s wisdom. In chapter one verse seven of this book we are told:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Understanding - What does it mean?
It is very rare for me to want to do anything when I am struggling emotionally. I usually look to do the bare minimum to get by. In these periods I usually work, eat, and sleep. That’s it. As I have gotten further along in my education of the Lord, these unintentional periods of fallow ground have become fewer and farther apart, but when they arrive all in my household know.
And because I am so grown in the Lord I purposely stay away from the Word of God, because as I stated previously...I am so grown. But even these times “away” have grown shorter and shorter. As you grow in knowledge of the Lord you learn to set apart the time. So unfortunately for me, this is what I heard today:
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,
but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,
but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.
Life Application - How can I apply this to my life today?
I grew up in a home/tradition that was ensconced in humility and honor. Apologies were the norm, not the exception. Yet here I am Lord with my haunches dug in unwilling to move, preparing my dissertation. And yet you are very clear in your message to me - where was your heart when you responded?
James 1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God
I pray that I am given another opportunity today - to respond softly.
In the name of Jesus do I pray, amen.
-kenneth lee