Talk of JESUS .com

Category: Good advice – Proverbs & wisdom

Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he grows older he will not abandon it.

Wisdom from Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon / Song of Songs. Please SHARE a Proverb or other Biblical quote of advice for today. How does this talk of Jesus in the 21st century? What’s Jesus’ advise for you and me IF He were to use this proverb for our worldly friends and application to our Christian lives in witness to our Lord?

Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 4

No one is established by wickedness

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good. – Psalm 53:1

Proverbs 12:

Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
    but he who hates reproof is stupid.
²A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
    but a man of evil devices he condemns.
³No one is established by wickedness,
    but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

¹³An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,
    but the righteous escapes from trouble.
¹⁴From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,
    and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
¹⁵The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
    but a wise man listens to advice.
¹⁶The vexation of a fool is known at once,
    but the prudent ignores an insult.
¹⁷Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
    but a false witness utters deceit.
¹⁸There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,
    but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

All the world’s a stage and the powerful are its actors.

Their scripts are not true however, and their plots are conceived in evil.

One can hardly discern where to stop when reading the wisdom of the Bible. Yet who among leaders on the world’s stage reads Proverbs, let alone heeds God’s advice?

Have you ever considered the relationship between wisdom and leadership, between the fool and the wise? Proverbs addresses it.

God appoints kings and leaders: righteousness confirms their faith, but foolishness troubles their lands.

²¹No ill befalls the righteous,
    but the wicked are filled with trouble.
²²Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
    but those who act faithfully are his delight.
²³A prudent man conceals knowledge,
    but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

Do a people set against God not continue to choose rulers who echo our discontent, then turn against them when theirs lies are established?

Fools will follow a boisterous king

But the wise keep silent until the mighty fall.

^{Proverbs 13:3}Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
    he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

So many would have their say with contentious and evil words.

Even in the palaces of the powerful wisdom’s table has no host.

To be continued…

October 21, 2017
Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 3

Words of a Wise King or Prudent Messenger

Pride leads to disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom. – Proverbs 11:2 NLT

Listen, you broadcasters of contention and messengers of alternative truth. Integrity and importance no longer occupy the seat of honor in your palaces!

Righteous kings and true messengers choose their words well, while evil broadcasts a false balance. Your impudent proclamations and contentious questions weary the ears of the righteous.

When will wisdom return to the feasts of the leaders of nations and conversation of those subjected to your entertainment news? You stoke the fires of hatred and fuel the frenzies of division.

Proverbs 11:

A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,
    but a just weight is his delight.

⁴Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
    but righteousness delivers from death.
⁵The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
    but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
⁶The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
    but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.

Remember Solomon who wrote these words nearly three thousand years ago? He began as a righteous king with good intentions, yet the king fell into sin. A great kingdom fell after having been chosen by God to represent righteousness.

Great kingdoms of the millennia diminished into discontent and dishonor; for wisdom no longer occupied a seat in their palaces or consideration in the thoughts of their subjects.

NEWS of the Day

⁹With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
    but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

¹²Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding remains silent.
¹³Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.
¹⁴Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
    but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Hasn’t our focus been drawn to scandal, personalities and unrighteousness? Accusers point to what is evil in their opinion (calling it news) yet never point to righteousness in the eyes of the Lord.

Media has become the message. Truth, importance and wisdom no longer invade media’s monetary message.

²³The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
    the expectation of the wicked in wrath.

28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Hear this, you evil messengers and rich rulers. It is the LORD who will judge both message and messenger. He will weigh injustice and offset lies.

A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing. – Proverbs 13:7

An evil man seeks only rebellion,
and a cruel messenger will be sent against him. – Proverbs 17:11

Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. – John 13:16

I tell you haughty messengers and arrogant rulers:

The Lord sits at the gate and sends the true message. He will weigh the words or your mouth and silence the shouts of your rebellion.

To be continued…

October 12, 2017
Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom – 2

“Lord, Lord”

You are about to sit in the presence of the King. Yet with the hearing of the wisdom of the King comes responsibility.

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?’ – Luke 6:46

LUKE 6:49

“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Can you sit before the King and heed His words of wisdom?

The Way of Wisdom

Proverbs 9:

Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars…

She has also furnished her table.

⁶Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.

⁷“He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
⁸Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Account for your actions

Do you answer the tweets of a fool? Would you correct this scoffer?

Does the world recognize a wicked one without you answering a fool?

Contentious words provoke angry response,

While silence speaks softly to those who hear.

A fool speaks loudly and carries no stick.

The wise one withholds comment from deaf ears..

What basis have you to judge another? Are you so infallible or have you never transgressed righteousness?

Learn from the Lord and ask forgiveness for your errors. Fear the LORD! Then you will begin to have wisdom.

Wisdom of the King

Earthly kings and leaders have appointed times, yet often they fail. Even Solomon forgot wisdom in his later days. The king’s banquet may become an event of singular honor or delectable cuisine, but wise words nourish the guest of the king’s table.

Hear just a few morsels of wisdom from King Solomon. My reflections follow, as I invite your consideration.

Savor wisdom’s words on the pallet of your understanding.

Feast upon wisdom’s flavor before digesting a proverb as common fast-food.

Proverbs 10:

6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

I am a sinful man; therefore I will keep silence before the King.

I recall the actions of so many wicked men and wayward women. We abhor their violence, yet the Lord will judge.

9 He who walks with integrity walks securely,
But he who perverts his ways will become known.

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity – Proverbs 2:7

Integrity – completeness, fullness, innocence, simplicity.

Acting in the Lord’s will, considering my imminent action as simply evil or good. Choosing good before exercising evil in thought, word or misdeed.

And perversion? We have forgotten it’s meaning in an onslaught of common evil. Perversion twists the truth of righteousness with corruption of the pure and defiance against God. Consider the lives of an evil one:

The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths;
they have made their roads crooked;
no one who treads on them knows peace. – Isaiah 59:8

Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. – Proverbs 19:1

12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But love covers all sins.

How we continually hear the news of the world; taunting words of hatred from the lips of arrogant men and unbound women.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. – 1 Peter 4:8

More than everything, soft words of love and the mirror of time will turn harsh words of hatred into regret.

More wisdom from Proverbs 10:

14 Wise people store up knowledge,

But the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.

17 He who keeps instruction is in the way of life,
But he who refuses correction goes astray.

18 Whoever hides hatred has lying lips,
And whoever spreads slander is a fool.

19 In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,
But he who restrains his lips is wise.

20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools die for lack of wisdom.

The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor. – Proverbs 15:33

Don’t think of Proverbs as only a few pithy sayings by Solomon and other ancient Kings.

Think of Proverbs as personal advice from the King of kings; then consider your own words and actions.

Will you be invited to the banquet of the King?

To be continued…

October 7, 2017