Proverbs 30 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence The author of these particular proverbs, named Agur, is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, nor is he identified by ancient scholars as one of renown; nevertheless, he seems to be well-known to the ancient Israelites, perhaps not as a Jew but a God-fearing gentile who feared the Lord. In the first nine verses he gives us a view of how he sees himself and his fellow man, and…

Proverbs 29 by Pastor Mark Hudson One of the themes in the Bible is God’s care for the poor.  Verse 7 reminds us that, “A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked man does not understand such knowledge.”  Then in v. 14, “If a king faithfully judges the poor, his throne will be established forever.”  We may find this quite unusual if we have been reading the Bible all our lives.  But…

Proverbs 28 By Pastor David Groendyk It’s difficult to see at first, but verses 2–12 form one whole section that give a picture of a just society. The overwhelming message is that each individual in a society must fear the Lord and love his law; or, to put it another way, it is impossible to have a good society if the individual citizens are unjust. What does a godly society look like? Here are some…

Proverbs 27 Devotional By Pastor Lawrence “What a day!” is a rhetorical expression that most of us have used at some point to convey our understanding of a series of unexpected and remarkable events, whether good or evil, which have surprised and even baffled us by their improbability. Most days might seem to us rather tame in comparison to those very rare and exceptional days, but the truth of the matter is that every day…

Proverbs 26 by Pastor Mark Hudson From 25:28, Waltke sees this section as perverted types of humanity 25:28 26:1-12            the fool 26:13-16          the sluggard 26:17-28          Four kinds of troublemakers 26:17                 The busybody 26:18-19           The mischief maker 26:20-22          The slanderer 26:23-28          The hateful enemy As I read through this chapter, I found myself wondering who this chapter…

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…