June 28-Proverbs 25-27

“Like an earring of gold and an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear”(25:12).

It is a gift of love. It can, however, be painful and has the potential to “go badly”. We, therefore, avoid it more often than we should. Scripture teaches us to reprove each other.

The Hebrew word is yakach. It means “to get in front of.” The current version of this idiom is, “to get in his face”.

“Judge not,” does not forbid every kind of moral discernment. “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk,” goes the modern proverb. Sincere love demands from us the courage to help each other correct moral mistakes, avoid moral dangers.

Reproof must be done with wisdom. Carefully. Without any hint of criticism or arrogance. “You who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted”(Galatians 6). Much prayer is required. The wise reprieve must deal first with his own arrogance and pride. “Take the beam out of your own eye, then deal with the speck in my brother’s eye,” said Jesus with considerable insight.

It must also be done with balance. Nine parts encouragement to one part reproof is a wise ratio. If a child (or a friend) only hears criticism, he will stop listening altogether.

Think of our Lord reproving the disciples for their unbelief (Matthew 8:26). Think of Him challenging Peter for his opposition to the cross (Matthew 16:22). Reproof isn’t the absence of love. It is often the proof of it.

Easier to stay silent? Yes. Required by genuine love? Yes.

“Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another”(27:17).

“All Scripture is inspired by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work”(2 Timothy 3:16-17).

June 27–Proverbs 21-24

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it”(22:6).

“Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him”(22:15).

Scripture speaks about child rearing. Clearly. Often. “Raising a child in the way he should go,” is the great duty of every parent. “ ‘When he is old, he will not depart from it,’ is probability rather than promise, “ says Chuck Swindoll. Even so, it is a great statement of a parent’s power. When done with wisdom and grace and love and humility before the Lord, early religious/moral training has a positive and permanent impact.

Proverbs 22:15 and 23:13-14 are pointed reminders of the “rod of discipline”. While popular opinion has (at some level) turned away from any use of “spanking” as a valid part of a comprehensive plan of discipline, the Bible disagrees. Christians who trust the scripture for wisdom in things of heaven are wise to also do so in things of home.

“Research supports the fact that, when used correctly and infrequently, and as one of many discipline forms, spanking has been a common factor in kids with well-developed self-motivation, empathy, morality and character”(James Dobson).

As you raise your children, do you listen to the culture for wisdom? (Look around you, please. How is the culture’s wisdom working?) Or, as HIS child, will you trust YOUR child to the wisdom and discipline of God?

“These words shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons”(Deuteronomy 6:6-7).

“God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”(Hebrews 12:7).

June 26-Proverbs 17-20

Proverbs often speaks about anger. Warns us of its potential for harm. There are times (some) when anger is appropriate, necessary and right. There are also times (many) when it is undisciplined and destructive. “Be angry, but sin not,” says Ephesians 4:26 with considered caution.

Today’s text speaks wisdom on this subject. Friend, have you learned anger management?

“The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out”(17:14). Use the off ramp! Recognize the dangers of escalation! Walk away before you create a destructive situation!

“A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, it is his glory to overlook a transgression”(19:11). Don’t react! Anger (acting on it, staying in it) is a choice. Emotions can be (and should be) brought under the control of your mind and higher conscience. Be “quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger,” says James 1:19.

“A man of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again”(19:19). Self examination is wise. Is this a pattern for me? Am I angry often? Am I a man of great (large or frequent) anger? Honest, now! Submit yourself to God and His counsel.

“Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man, for any fool will quarrel”(20:3). Even when you are right, the higher road may be to yield. How strange the pride that makes a man feel it is his right to feel/express anger. “Let your yieldedness be known to all men,” is one possible/helpful translation of Philippians 4:5.

An angry person is neither wise, nor worthy of leadership. God regularly warns us. Dear friend, whether in words, on Facebook, in politics, in the hidden thoughts of your heart, are you managing your anger, or it is managing you?

“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it”(Marcus Aurelius).

“Do not associate with a man given to anger. . .or you will learn his ways and find a snare for yourself” (Proverbs 22:24-25).

June 25–Proverbs 14-16

“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death”(14:11-12).

In John 14, our Lord called Himself “the Way”. By the use of this word, our Savior teaches (and the Proverbs affirm) three important lessons.

Our lives are not static. We are on our way to somewhere. Always. Like a river, our lives move forward. I must never fear new seasons of life, or new assignments from the Lord. “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives. . .to a land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). I must never stop growing or getting forward. Jesus is not a place to stop and stay, He is the WAY.

Our lives require COURAGEOUS CHOICE. High stakes involved. A morally beautiful God did not create a morally ambivalent world! Creation is partisan toward righteousness. The Creator requires it. The wicked will be destroyed. The upright will flourish. The Bible never apologizes for the solid steel of this moral vision. We are to CHOOSE.

True wisdom is CHRIST. While the Proverbs do not name the coming Savior, by warning us against self-reliance they do prepare us for Him. “Lean NOT on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3). There will be choices (many) that make good, logical sense to me (just as they did to Eve). I must never trust my own wisdom or feelings! “There is none righteous, not one.” Apart from the Shepherd’s voice I will surely fail.

Is your heart convinced, dear one? Have you committed your life to walking with Christ? Is He your way?

“Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, how do we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me’ “(John 14:5-6).

“Did not our hearts burn within us, while He talked with us by the way?” (Luke 24:31. KJV).

June 24–Proverbs 11-13

“Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness”(11:4-5).

Solomon was a wise man. Supernaturally so. One of the things he knew for certain is that righteousness is an active agent! It powerfully impacts life. It leads to life and blessing. Wickedness, in the same way, leads to death and disfavor. Friend, do you believe this truth?

Scripture holds fast to the certainty and priority of righteousness. The teaching of grace (salvation is a free gift by grace through faith) must never weaken our conviction that it is possible and profitable to walk in righteousness. Noah. Job. Joseph. The Scripture describes them as blameless and blessed. God’s requirement of righteousness never goes away.

The universe is essentially moral! Heaven is (and earth will be) holy! God’s commandments do not describe the universe as He wishes it to be. They describe the universe as it is–at its core!

Righteousness, therefore, is the only thing that works, or ever will! The coming judgement (all men resurrected to either reward or punishment) will only certify this nonnegotiable truth.

Early in my Christian life, I learned Psalm 1. People who delight in God’s law are BLESSED. People who resist His law are unstable and vulnerable. Righteousness is the only path that leads to life, the only truly wise investment.

Friend, do you believe that God is righteous and that He rewards righteousness?

“Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).

June 23–Proverbs 7-10

“Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn out her seven pillars; she has prepared her food, she has mixed her wine; she has also set her table. . .Come, eat of my food and drink of the wine I have mixed. Forsake your folly and live”(9:1-2,5-6).

Like his father David, Solomon was a man of intense sexual interest and desire. Many wives. Concubines. His unchecked attraction for women eventually contributed to his downfall. As we read Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes, we see both his fascination and struggle. Sex is tightly woven into his story.

In Proverbs 7, Solomon has words of WARNING for his son(s) on this subject. Particularly the dangers of adultery. With an experienced eye, he observes the process and players of seduction. He describes the component parts of temptation and the disaster that always follows. See James 1:13-15 for further insight and help.

In Proverbs 9, Solomon vividly describes another woman. Personifies her.

Her name is WISDOM. With great virtue and dignity, this lady calls out to young men, inviting them to her house. No danger here. No sexual innuendo. A gracious hostess! Wise counsel! No one ever loved you better than this woman, says Solomon to his sons. You are fortunate to have her friendship.

In a world that often demeans women, we are well served to reflect on these words. A woman named Wisdom. Do you see her? Strong. Smart. Capable. Nurturing.

It is a godly challenge for every woman and girl! A vision of Spiritual strength and virtue! The world would be stronger and better if heeded the counsel of these King’s daughters

Some of the wisest people I have ever known have been female. Solomon agrees.

“She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. . .Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also” Proverbs 31: 26, 28).

June 22–Proverbs 2-6

“My son, observe the commandment of your father and do not forsake the teaching of your mother; bind them continually on your heart; tie them to your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you”(6:20-22).

The Bible teaches parental responsibility for the upbringing of children. Religious and moral instruction is a task given by God to every parent. Foolish are those who leaves this for a later time when the child can “choose for himself”. “It is not my responsibility to get you into Harvard,” says a recent Facebook meme. “It IS my responsibility to get you into Heaven.”

Patiently, forcefully, using both instruction and discipline (see Ephesians 6:4 with its emphasis on the father’s role in this process) both parents are to impress wisdom on the developing mind and heart. “I have chosen Abraham, so that he may command (italics mine) his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice,” says the Lord in Genesis 18:19.

The stakes are high! Righteousness is profitable and sin is destructive! We do our children GREAT GOOD by teaching them the character and nature of a holy God. Note the repeated theme in today’s reading (3:13-18, 4:8-9).

In the same way, children are commanded to accept and retain the lessons of godly parents. As with our relationship to God, only those who “have ears” will learn and profit.

Love and respect for parents prepares us to love Christ well. Sitting at the feet of Jesus (attentive, open, hungry for instruction, see Luke 10), comes easier to a child who has practiced the posture and attitude of humility with godly parents. Of course, a parent must be worthy of respect. No parent can instruct his child in holy living if he, himself, is a stranger to it.

Friend, as you pray today for your children and grandchildren, will you hear the Lord’s call to the task of instruction and moral training? Will you stand strong against the enemy’s accusation of your inadequacy? The Great One calls you! Trust Him and obey!

“You cannot control your children, you say? Then the Lord have mercy on you! It is your business to do it, and you must do it, or else you will soon find they will control you. No one knows what judgment will come from God upon those who allow sin in children to go unrebuked” (Charles Spurgeon).

“I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. . .that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ”(2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15).

June 21–Psalm 147-Proverbs 1

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge”(Proverbs 1:7).

We don’t. In our self-focused, self-confident flesh, none of us grasps this wisdom. Fear of the Lord is NOT our first principle. It is NOT where we begin.

Like Eve, our starting place is self. FOMO (fear of missing out), or fear of pain, or fear of rejection, drives us. Proud people, we crave control and credit and comfort, rather than Christ. These are our first values. Self is where we begin.

When God, in grace, calls us to repent (meta noia, “to think again, re-think”), He invites us to the original relationship with Himself. He intends a return to a new “first fact”. God is! God is true beauty! God is true value! Our rights and needs are not first. HIS rights, HIS glory are. In repentance we rebuild life on a foundation of respect and fear for God. “Start here!” says the Holy One.

Some people say that grace removes the danger of judgement. I don’t believe it. “No condemnation” does not mean “no consequences”. Note God’s posture toward those who reject His instruction in v. 28-29. Grace is a gift that freely reconciles us to God through the work of Christ. It does not, however, change the road that He intends us to walk, nor the consequences if we refuse. The fear of the God’s discipline is a healthy place to stand.

If “PRAISE the Lord!” (150:6) is the last and lingering lesson of the book of Psalms. “FEAR the Lord,” is the first lesson of the book of Proverbs.

What would life be if my first thought every day was His approval, His glory? What if, by grace, I came to a deep humility before Him? A fear of His discipline? “It would be the beginning of wisdom,” says Proverbs.

“The church. . .enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”(Acts 9:31).

“Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due Thee?”(Psalm 90:11).

June 20–Psalm 140-146

“My enemy has persecuted my soul. . .therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart is appalled within me. . .Teach me to do Your will, for you are my God; let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground”(143:3-4,10).

Psalm 143 was written in a painful season of life. The superscription credits the song to David. Did he write these words during his years running from Saul? During the disappointment and danger of Absalom? We cannot know the particulars, but we all understand the feelings expressed.

All of us have days when we feel overwhelmed. Days when problems and enemies seem so much larger than our strength. Seasons come when we are appalled (v. 4, Hebrew, samem, to be stunned). His soul off-balanced, David felt like giving up. Similar to Paul in 2 Corinthians. “I despaired even of life.” I have known such days, dear friend. Have you?

Late in the psalm, David asks for the pain/problem to be removed. But the main petition of his prayer, and the shining example for us, is something much higher. “Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning. . .teach me the way that I should walk” he says in v. 8. “Teach me to do Your will,” he says in v. 10. Wisely, David sets a goal higher than his own self-fulfillment or happiness!

Trust, not ease, is the noble narrative of human life. Even when life hurts, the main agenda, and the most profound victory, is not relief, but obedience.

Friend, when life is hard will you pray David’s prayer?

“Be not deceived, Wormwood, our cause is never more in jeopardy than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending to do our Enemy’s will, looks round upon a universe in which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys”(C. S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters).

“What if the circumstances you are asking God to change are the very circumstances God is using to change you?”(Mark Batterson).

“He learned obedience through the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).

June 19–Psalm 133-139

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. . .you are intimately acquainted with all my ways. . .O that you would slay the wicked, O God. . .Search me, O God and know my heart, try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me”(139:1,3,19,23-24).

God knows me. He has always known me. Before I was born. Wherever I go. He is intimately (what a marvelous word!) acquainted with all my ways.

Sin convinces me to hide (Adam in the bushes). It is pointless, however, to do so. I am NOT hidden from Him. He sees and understands me. I may be a puzzle to myself, but not to Him.

What should I DO with such an overwhelming fact? How should God’s people respond to a patiently-observant, ever-present God? David guides our answer in Psalm 139.

God’s attentive care should set my opposition to the world. “Do I not hate those who hate You?”(v 21). Believers are called to stand against the world in the same measure the world resists God. As believers, we often feel the world’s opposition to us. Less often we recognize His call to courage. Natural men resist God. His children must never be complacent or neutral in this cosmic conflict.

Please note David’s prayer. With great loyalty and courage, He calls for God to come in judgement. See Revelation 6:10 for a similar prayer. Spurgeon said, “David was a good hater, for he only hated those who hated good. . .to hate a man for his own sake, or for any evil done to us, would be wrong; but to hate a man because he is the foe of all goodness and the enemy of righteousness is nothing less than an obligation.”

God’s attentive care should open my heart to MORE of His presence and influence. Humbly aware of his own sins, David prayed for God’s involvement in every area of his life. Search me. Know me. Test me. God’s tender mercies created in David a hunger for intimacy and honesty. Rather than hide his sins, or make excuses, David opened his heart fully to God. He invited God’s evaluation and correction.

Friend, today, will you consider God’s attentive care in your life? His faithful friendship? His complete and patient awareness of you over many years? Will you respond to His care with courage toward His enemies, and with a hunger for deeper intimacy?

“Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).