Tag: Proverbs

A popular saying, regarded as conveying wisdom. Scripture records a great number of didactic proverbs and also preserves some popular sayings.

Proverbs – Biblehub.com Proverbs topical index

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  • Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom

    Banquet of the King in the House of Wisdom

    The House of Wisdom

    Does not wisdom cry out,
    And understanding lift up her voice?

    Proverbs 8: NKJV

    6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
    And from the opening of my lips will come right things;
    7 For my mouth will speak truth;
    Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

    8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
    Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
    9 They are all plain to him who understands,
    And right to those who find knowledge.


    Ah, wisdom, such a rare jewel among riches, a hidden treasure in the palaces of kings.

    Does a son of man in this 21st century even consider her value before proclaiming foolishness?

    O, that a humble King could be found, a son of man with whom wisdom occupies a seat of honor at his banquet.

    15 By me kings reign,
    And rulers decree justice.
    16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
    All the judges of the earth.
    17 I love those who love me,
    And those who seek me diligently will find me.

    Wisdom. A wise ruler surveys the land, chooses the high ground and builds upon a foundation of the Lord’s righteousness. Though cunning may sweep an evil one into a palace on shifting sand, no monument outlasts the wisdom of the Lord.

    In the Beginning

     

    22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way,
    Before His works of old.
    23 I have been established from everlasting,
    From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
    24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
    When there were no fountains abounding with water.
    25 Before the mountains were settled,
    Before the hills, I was brought forth;
    26 While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields,
    Or the primal dust of the world.
    27 When He prepared the heavens, I was there,
    When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
    28 When He established the clouds above,
    When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
    29 When He assigned to the sea its limit,
    So that the waters would not transgress His command,
    When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
    30 Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman;
    And I was daily His delight,
    Rejoicing always before Him,
    31 Rejoicing in His inhabited world,
    And my delight was with the sons of men.


    John 1:

    In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.

    10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.


    Proverbs 8:

    33 Hear instruction and be wise,
    And do not disdain it…

    35 For whoever finds me finds life,
    And obtains favor from the Lord;
    36 But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul;
    All those who hate me love death.”


    Do you seek the house of wisdom and will you hear her voice?

    What word of wisdom would you with ears to hear obey?


    To be continued…

     

  • For you will always have the poor – 3

    For you will always have the poor – 3

    For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’ – Deuteronomy 15:11

    Certainly Jesus could have been referring to this command of Moses.

    Thus far we have examined two of the three reports of Jesus telling us that the poor are always with us. (Our Lord means no disrespect.) Before moving on to His point in the anointing with oil and returning to the final quote, let’s take a brief Biblical look at the needy.

    Psalms

    9:18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
    and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.

    10:2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor;
    let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.

    14:6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
    but the LORD is his refuge.

    113:7 He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap

    Proverbs

    14:21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,
    but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

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

    28:6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
    than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.


    Judge rightly between the words of Jesus  and the integrity of the one who remarked that the extravagant anointing of Jesus kept help from the poor.


    “And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.” tweet=”Luke 6:20

    Luke 6:30-36

    Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.

    And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

    30 hour famine - prayer for the poor“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

    But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.


    Who has the LORD chosen?

    Has the Lord not chosen the poor, the humble and the least of those among men a His own servants?

    “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” tweet=”But you have dishonored the poor man. James 2:5-6a 

    Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. – Colossians 3:12-14


    To be continued…

  • for it was not the season for figs – 1

    for it was not the season for figs – 1

    Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
    and he who guards his master will be honored.

    – Proverbs 27:18

    Consider the Creator of the garden approaching a fig tree before its season. Who will guard the Son of Man as He enters the Temple and fast-approaches the reproach of the Cross?

    Prologue to this series (in case you missed it)

    Mark 11: [ESV]

    Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

    12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry.13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

    Jesus Cleanses the Temple

    15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons…


    A triumphal entry into Jerusalem, as an anointed King of Israel. Jesus stays in a nearby town (Bethany) for the night, then returns to Jerusalem. A fig tree is not an uncommon sight along the rural roads leading to the gates of Jerusalem. He curses the tree with no fruit, then enters the Holy City, clearing the Holy Temple of unrighteousness.

    The authorities will have to plot against this powerful and righteous Son of Man, lest their comfortable authority would be overthrown.


    19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

    Jesus leaves town. 

    Another night away from Jerusalem (probably once again with disciples in Bethany).

    The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

    Mark 11:20-21 http://talkofJesus.com

    20 As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots.

    21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.”

    22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.


    Another miracle (kind of a scary one, though). Jesus had cursed a tree and it withered and died in a day.

    (Have you ever thought that your life could pass just as quickly?)

    Now, in typical rabbi fashion Jesus makes a teaching moment from fulfillment of His curse.


    24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

    And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

    Mark 11:25

    “Even a holy week spent in prayer is of no value to the unforgiving worshiper. You with ears to hear, forgive ,” learn the lesson of the fig tree.

    Forgive, “… so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”


    Tend the tree of life and forgiveness. 
    Bear the fruit of love. 
    Guard the Lord, our Master and Savior.
    He will curse the tree without fruit at the Judgment.
    Roger@talkofJesus.com

    Scripture has much more to say about the fig tree. Jesus does not choose such an important symbol of Israel to curse without cause.

    To be continued