Proverbs 25 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence “Enough is enough!” we sometimes say to others when we want them to stop doing something that bothers us. But how much is “enough”? The answer to that question is somewhat relative depending upon the person and his or her particular needs. In verse sixteen of this chapter, Solomon says, “If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill and vomit it.” But…

2 Kings 6 Pastor Mark Hudson Elisha has a growing number of students around him. This prompts “the sons of the prophets” to ask to build a bigger place. They leave for the Jordan but not until someone innocently asks Elisha to join them. These are not wealthy students so when one of them loses an axe head in the Jordan they just can’t go buy a new one. Since Elisha just happened to be…

Proverbs 24 by Pastor Mark Hudson Proverbs 24 24:3-12            Strength in Distress 24:13—22       Prohibition against involvement with the wicked 24:23-34          Further sayings of the wise  (Bruce Waltke’s outline) Part of this chapter deals with conflict, distress, and how one overcomes obstacles.  First in 3-4, we gain wealth or a pleasant home by wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.  This does not mean wicked people are not wealthy.  But when one gains good things in life by…

Proverbs 23 By Pastor David Groendyk According to some scholars, Proverbs 22:22 through Proverbs 24:22 contain the “thirty sayings of counsel and knowledge” mentioned in Proverbs 22:20. If their outlines of this section are correct, chapter 23 contains Saying #6 through Saying #18. One word that springs to mind when reading this chapter is ‘gluttony’. These wise sayings warn us against gluttony in so many arenas of life. • Do not be a glutton for…

Proverbs 21 by Pastor Mark Hudson I have been referring to Bruce Waltke’s commentary on Proverbs since he thinks the author or inspired editor placed the proverbs together for specific reasons. He rejects the idea that the placement of the Proverbs is haphazard. See below for this section. B. Collection IIb: The Lord and His King (15:30-22:22). There are 11 subheadings under this rubric. The next big section is III. The thirty sayings of the…

Proverbs 20 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence There are two things pointed out about us personally in this chapter that the Lord knows very well but of which we have very little understanding and to which we pay even less attention: our heart and our steps. In verse five, Solomon says: "The purpose in a man's heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out." It's not like we're animals acting…

Proverbs 19 By Pastor David Groendyk One of the unifying themes found throughout this chapter is impartiality, fairness, and integrity. A foolish person who is not walking in the ways of the Lord will twist truth and overthrow justice out of sinful, selfish concerns, but the wise man who makes every effort to please the Lord will strive for truth and equity, even if it costs him something. Look at these verses and notice what…

Proverbs 18 By Pastor David Groendyk One of the major themes of this chapter is speech. I count no fewer than 11 out of the 24 verses that relate to speaking or listening to someone speak. What does godly, wise speech look like? What advice should we take away from Solomon? Verse 21 is an apt and concise summary: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will…

Proverbs 17  Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Not all transgressions are alike plain and evident unto men, but strife is a sin that is generally recognized by all of human society. We all have seen it, and we all have participated in it at some point, certainly in our childhood and sometimes as adults as well. As parents, we hate to see children losing their tempers and hitting one another, but it absolutely unnerves and even…

Proverbs 16 by Mark Hudson Bruce Waltke organizes chapter 16 as follows: Collection IIb: The Lord and His King (15:30-22:22) Prologue: The Dance between humanity, the Lord, and His king (15:30-16:15) Introduction (15:30-33) The Lord’s rule (16:1-9) The Lord’s sovereignty and the human’s responsibility (16:1-4a) The Lord’s morality and the human’s accountability (16:4b-7) Conclusion (16:8-9 The mediatorial King (16:10-15) The King’s authority (16:10-11) The King’s moral sensibility (16:12-13) The King’s power (16:14-15). Wise and Foolish…

Proverbs 15 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Words matter so much more than we realize, especially when we consider the fact that they are spoken to immortal souls. Our tongues have the power to either nourish or grieve the spirit of others, and they also have the power to please God or else stir up his wrath. As Solomon says in this passage, ‘a soft’ and humble answer turns away the wrath of God and of…

Proverbs 14 by Pastor Mark Hudson Bruce Waltke labels Proverbs 10:1-22:16 as collection II. Collection IIa is 10:1-15:29 called Antithetical parallels of the righteous vs. the wicked.  The main headings are as follows: 10:1a               superscription 10:1b-16          The wise and the fool defined by their comportment in wealth and speech 10:17-11:31     Deeds and destinies of the righteous and the wicked contrasted 12:1-28            Two subunits on Speech and Deeds 13:1-25            Good Teaching, ethics, and living 14:1-32            Living…

Proverbs 13 By Pastor David Groendyk Now that we’ve made it past the introductory plea to listen to wisdom in chapters 1–9 and have dived into the proverbs themselves beginning in chapter 10, you may actually find it slightly more challenging to continue reading through this book. Why? Because most of the proverbs are individual statements that are unrelated to all the other verses around them. Once in a while, a few proverbs can be…

Proverbs 12 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence The wisdom of Proverbs is given to the people of God at the very pinnacle of Israel’s history as it is recorded in the Old Testament. Finally, God’s people are in God’s place, the Promised Land, living under God’s rule and blessing and being led by God’s king, the Son of David, who is the wisest man to have ever lived at that time. Although not all of the…

Proverbs 11 by Pastor Mark Hudson One of the best commentaries on Proverbs is written by Bruce Waltke.  He 10:1-22:16 as collection II. Collection IIa is 10:1-15:29 called Antithetical parallels of the righteous vs. the wicked. 10:17-11:31, Waltke refers to this section as Deeds and destinies of the righteous and the wicked contrasted. 11:1-8 is labelled Security through honesty  and righteousness. 11:10-15 words in community 11:16-22 benevolence and community 11:23-27 desires and paradoxical fulfillments 11:28-31…

Proverbs 9 by Pastor Mark Hudson Proverbs 9 is about two extremely different women who demand a choice or a decision.  The first is Woman Wisdom (WW).  WW goes to great lengths to prepare a banquet.  She, not her husband, but she has built her house and hewn her seven pillars.  This is a beautiful home and seemingly large enough to hold a banquet.  WW has taken great pains to slaughter her beasts (plural), she…

Proverbs 8 By Pastor David Groendyk Proverbs 8 continues the discourse about the value and necessity of wisdom from the Lord; however, what’s different about this chapter is that, rather than a father speaking to a son, wisdom itself is speaking! Wisdom calls out to mankind (vv. 1–5), gives reasons for why we ought to heed it (vv. 6–11), explains its own righteous character (vv. 12–21), describes its divine origin and usage (vv. 22–31), and…

Proverbs 7 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence Similar to the previous passages, once again the father begins by exhorting his son to heed his commands and to seek out wisdom using some very unique expressions such as keeping his teaching as “the apple of (his) eye,” and calling wisdom his “sister,” and knowledge his “intimate friend.” Just as the Israelites were called to figuratively bind God’s Word upon their foreheads and to write those precepts upon…

Proverbs 6 by Pastor Mark Hudson Proverbs 6 is divided up by Bruce Waltke as 6:1-19              Three Inferior Men 6:20-35            The High Price of an Unchaste Wife For the three foolish people, the first has become surety for a neighbor, the second is a sluggard or lazy person, and the third is a troublemaker or insurrectionist.  This section is followed by the seven things the Lord hates.   Looking at the first section, we do not…

Proverbs 5 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence We’re never told the ages of Solomon’s sons in these wisdom passages, but this chapter is clearly a sort of sex-education talk given by a father to his sons. However, it doesn’t focus so much on the ‘how-to’ but rather on the ‘whereas’ and ‘therefore.’ Whereas the words of the forbidden woman will only lead to death; therefore, listen to my words. Whereas the flesh of the adulteress will…

Proverbs 4 by Pastor Mark Hudson Proverbs 4 begins with the father speaking to his son.  In Proverbs, this is not advice but commandments (v. 4). The father reflects on the time when he was a son who listened to his father.  He listened as an obedient child and urges the same for his son.  The father is encouraging the son to be active in the pursuit of wisdom.  The push is to “keep hold…