Posted on 04/21/2017 9:23:25 AM PDT by OneVike
The LORD Considers the Heart
01 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD,
00 Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
02 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
00 But the LORD weighs the hearts.
03 To do righteousness and justice
00 Is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
04 A haughty look, a proud heart,
00 And the plowing of the wicked are sin.
05 The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
00 But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
06 Getting treasures by a lying tongue
00 Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.
07 The violence of the wicked will destroy them,
00 Because they refuse to do justice.
08 The way of a guilty man is perverse;
00 But as for the pure, his work is right.
09 Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,
00 Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.
10 The soul of the wicked desires evil;
00 His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
11 When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise;
00 But when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
12 The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked,
00 Overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness.
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
00 Will also cry himself and not be heard.
14 A gift in secret pacifies anger,
00 And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath.
15 It is a joy for the just to do justice,
00 But destruction will come to the workers of iniquity.
16 A man who wanders from the way of understanding
00 Will rest in the assembly of the dead.
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
00 He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
18 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous,
00 And the unfaithful for the upright.
19 Better to dwell in the wilderness,
00 Than with a contentious and angry woman.
20 There is desirable treasure,
00 And oil in the dwelling of the wise,
00 But a foolish man squanders it.
21 He who follows righteousness and mercy
00 Finds life, righteousness and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty,
00 And brings down the trusted stronghold.
23 Whoever guards his mouth and tongue
00 Keeps his soul from troubles.
24 A proud and haughty man--"Scoffer" is his name;
00 He acts with arrogant pride.
25 The desire of the lazy man kills him,
00 For his hands refuse to labor.
26 He covets greedily all day long,
00 But the righteous gives and does not spare.
27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
00 How much more when he brings it with wicked intent!
28 A false witness shall perish,
00 But the man who hears him will speak endlessly.
29 A wicked man hardens his face,
00 But as for the upright, he establishes his way.
30 There is no wisdom or understanding
00 Or counsel against the LORD.
31 The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
00 But deliverance is of the LORD.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs was to reveal the mind of God in matters high and lofty and in common, ordinary, everyday situations. It appears that no topic escaped King Solomon's attention. Matters pertaining to personal conduct, sexual relations, business, wealth, charity, ambition, discipline, debt, child-rearing, character, alcohol, politics, revenge, and Godliness are among the many topics covered in this rich collection of wise sayings.
Without wisdom, knowledge is nothing more than an accumulation of raw facts, influenced by emotional feelings. Many highly educated people are in positions of power in the United States, but very few of those educated leaders have the wisdom needed to rule properly.
One can say that they have been educated well beyond their intelligence. A cursory look at the court system will prove my point that knowledge without wisdom will only lead to an immoral society that eventually crumbles from within. Judges are supposed to be above the fray, and immovable to emotions. Instead, the vast majority of judges today are Godless individuals who are vacant of wisdom. So their rulings are totally based upon emotional feelings.
We the people are to blame, because we ignored God's guidance in appointing our leaders. Instead of putting leaders full wisdom in power, we instead chose those who would scratch our itchy ears to lead us.
Of the 31 Proverbs, only the first 24 were written by Solomon. Kong Hezekiah wrote 5, Proverbs 25 to 29, Agur wrote Proverb 30, and Lemuel wrote Proverb 321. Now many believe Lemuel was in fact King Solomon and Lemuel was just a nick name his Mother, Bathsheba gave him. We are told that Solomon write over 3000 Proverbs and composed 1000 songs, but the only Proverbs God decided to preserve for us are Proverbs 1-24. Like the New Testament epistle by James, it is impossible to get a chronological outline for a study since they all bounce from subject to subject.
Along with my daily routine of reading the Bible, I try to read through the book of Proverbs once a Month. It's an easy task when you consider there are 31 Proverbs. So all you need to know is what day of the Month it is. In the Months that have 30 days, or in the case of February, I just double up by reading more than one two proverb so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
Thanks and blessings.
01 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD,
00 Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.
Amen, OneVike
Prayers for our leaders that the Good Lord turns their hearts in His ways.
Thanks for posting.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
