Posted on 02/22/2014 7:51:14 AM PST by OneVike
The Value of a Good Name
01 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
00Loving favor rather than silver and gold.
02 The rich and the poor have this in common,
00 The LORD is the maker of them all.
03 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
00 But the simple pass on and are punished.
04 By humility and the fear of the LORD
00 Are riches and honor and life.
05 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;
00 He who guards his soul will be far from them.
06 Train up a child in the way he should go,
00 And when he is old he will not depart from it.
07 The rich rules over the poor,
00 And the borrower is servant to the lender.
08 He who sows iniquity will reap sorrow,
00 And the rod of his anger will fail.
09 He who has a generous eye will be blessed,
00 For he gives of his bread to the poor.
10 Cast out the scoffer, and contention will leave;
00 Yes, strife and reproach will cease.
11 He who loves purity of heart
00 And has grace on his lips,
00 The king will be his friend.
12 The eyes of the LORD preserve knowledge,
00 But He overthrows the words of the faithless.
13 The lazy man says, "There is a lion outside!
00 I shall be slain in the streets!"
14 The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit;
00 He who is abhorred by the LORD will fall there.
15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
00 The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
16 He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches,
00 And he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty.
Sayings of the Wise
17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise,
00 And apply your heart to my knowledge;
18 For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you;
00 Let them all be fixed upon your lips,
19 So that your trust may be in the LORD;
00 I have instructed you today, even you.
20 Have I not written to you excellent things
00 Of counsels and knowledge,
21 That I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth,
00 That you may answer words of truth
00 To those who send to you?
22 Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
00 Nor oppress the afflicted at the gate;
23 For the LORD will plead their cause,
00 And plunder the soul of those who plunder them.
24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
00 And with a furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
00 And set a snare for your soul.
26 Do not be one of those who shakes hands in a pledge,
00 One of those who is surety for debts;
27 If you have nothing with which to pay,
00 Why should he take away your bed from under you?
28 Do not remove the ancient landmark
00 Which your fathers have set.
29 Do you see a man who excels in his work?
00 He will stand before kings;
00 He will not stand before unknown men.
The purpose of Writing the book of Proverbs by Solomon is 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.
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 to know which Proverb to read. In the Months that have less than 31 days, I just double so I can begin the next month with Proverb 1 on the first again.
Makes you think of all those who purchased homes with adjustable mortgages from banks. Reality was they should never had bought a home. Regardless of what the government and the banks said, they knew that if the mortgage rates went up they would not be able to make the payments, yet they still shook hands in a pledge to pay back what they truly did not have the ability to pay back. Now many do not even have a bed to lay down on. So many of them had to moved back in with Mom and Dad.
24 Make no friendship with an angry man,
00 And with a furious man do not go,
25 Lest you learn his ways
00 And set a snare for your soul.
Sadly this is a case I have faced many times here on FR and it seems to me that it is getting more and more like that with very nasty angry confrontations becoming the norm. I haven’t often thought of leaving lest as the verse warns my soul become snared.
You need to do what I do. I have learned to pick ans chose which times I will get into discussions and which threads to participate in.
I think the whole situation of the country has made everyone feel on edge and so many are feeling pushed up against the wall.
Friends are ready to jump at friends and all we want is our country back, yet we see it slipping away more and more everyday.
Nothing new. Throughout history friends and families have been scattered when that which we feel comfortable with is gone. New alliances and new friendship arise as we people slowly get used to the new norm.
Those who refuse to give up when the end is upon them are always the ones who snap the worst. America as we know it, like it or not, is finished. Even if we take the Congress back, and win the WH in 2016 I do not see the new President reversing 8 years of executive orders that have torn the very fabric of out country apart.
Look at what we expected from GW, yet look at what we got. He and the Republican House and Senate created the very agency, that is now being used by Obama to destroy us. While GW gave us the Judge that helped Obama destroy our healthcare.
I feel the angst every time I out shopping. One of the reasons I joined your ping list. I am ready to pull my IRA out and put it under a pillow, or by some rental properties. People will always need a place to rent and live.
I am also getting ready to plant more in my family garden for my spring crop. I have potatoes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower coming in, and I am already going to start my summer plants in pots to be planted by the mid April.
Time to pay attention, but don’t allow others angst to turn you off. For many, FreeRepublic is their only outlet to vent. Keep the faith, and God will see us through till he returns.
Times are going to get rough though. 92 million Americans without a job. Reagan was able to create 20 million new jobs over his whole 8 year term. Even if we get another Reagan in 2016, and like Reagan they are able to ease the government yoke on us. It would take over 35 years to get those jobs back.
Hell, there is no guarantee that after that persons 8 year term is over we will get another good conservative. look what happened after Reagan.
No, don’t be surprised our own are busy eating each other. Just remember what Christ tells us.
For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say:
“The LORD is my helper;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?”
God bless you my FRiend.
Good advice. I was called a name by someone in private messaging that should have been reported. But I decided to seal my lips instead.
Great post! Thank you.
To sum up part of your post I use a Proverb you must know to be one of my favorites:
03 A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself,
00 But the simple pass on and are punished.
You chose wisely... :>)
Psalm 121 has become a favorite recently....
Thanks Kart, for all you do.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.
Your welcom,
OV,
Chuck
Thanks metmom, I almost posted the 22nd Psalm in my comment, since it corresponds with the day, but decided not to.
Like you I find the 21st to be very comforting as well.
I just learned my granddaughter won 2nd place in the National solo dance competition for juniors, and 1st runner-up in the national Miss Showbiz competition. This is the third year in a row she placed in the top 3 of the best dancers in the country. 2011 she won 1st for 9 years olds, 2011 she won 1st for 10 years olds, and now she placed 2nd in Juniors.
I add that to my nephew being named one of the top 10 baseball recruits in N Ca, and I feel very blessed today.
God is good, even in the worst of times he will always be there for us.
Thanks for posting the Scripture.
Good point.
Proverbs, chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
1A good name is more desirable than great riches,
and high esteem, than gold and silver.* a
2Rich and poor have a common bond:
the LORD is the maker of them all.b
3The astute see an evil and hide,
while the naive continue on and pay the penalty.* c
4The result of humility and fear of the LORD
is riches, honor and life.*
5Thorns and snares are on the path of the crooked;
those who would safeguard their lives will avoid them.
6Train the young in the way they should go;
even when old, they will not swerve from it.*
7The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.*
8Those who sow iniquity reap calamity,d
and the rod used in anger will fail.*
9The generous will be blessed,
for they share their food with the poor.
10Expel the arrogant and discord goes too;
strife and insult cease.
11The LORD loves the pure of heart;e
the person of winning speech has a king for a friend.
12The eyes of the LORD watch over the knowledgeable,
but he defeats the projects of the faithless.
13The sluggard says, “A lion is outside;f
I might be slain in the street.”*
14The mouth of the foreign woman is a deep pit;g
whoever incurs the LORD’s anger will fall into it.
15Folly is bound to the heart of a youth,
but the rod of discipline will drive it out.*
16Oppressing the poor for enrichment,
giving to the rich: both are sheer loss.*
IV. SAYINGS OF THE WISE*
17The Words of the Wise:*
Incline your ear, and hear my words,h
and let your mind attend to my teaching;
18For it will be well if you hold them within you,
if they all are ready on your lips.
19That your trust may be in the LORD,
I make them known to you today—yes, to you.
20Have I not written for you thirty sayings,
containing counsels and knowledge,
21To teach you truly
how to give a dependable report to one who sends you?
22Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
nor crush the needy at the gate;*
23For the LORD will defend their cause,i
and will plunder those who plunder them.
24Do not be friendly with hotheads,
nor associate with the wrathful,
25Lest you learn their ways,
and become ensnared.
26Do not be one of those who give their hand in pledge,
those who become surety for debts;j
27For if you are unable to pay,
your bed will be taken from under you.*
28Do not remove the ancient landmark*
that your ancestors set up.k
29Do you see those skilled at their work?
They will stand in the presence of kings,
but not in the presence of the obscure.
* [22:1] “Good name” (Heb. shem) and “high esteem” (Heb. chen) are declared to be of more value than great riches. Human beings belong to a community and without the acceptance of that community, which is built on esteem and trust, human life is grievously damaged. Riches are less essential to the human spirit.
* [22:3] The wise see dangers before they are engulfed by them whereas fools, through dullness or boldness, march right on.
* [22:4] Humiliation can be an occasion for knowing one’s place in God’s world. Such knowledge is part of fear (or revering) of the Lord. Revering the Lord brings the blessings of wealth, honor, and long life. The saying is perhaps meant to counter the view that humiliation is an unmixed evil; something good can come of it.
* [22:6] One of the few exhortations in the collection (cf. 14:7; 16:3; 19:18, 20). “Way” in the first colon has been taken in two different senses: (1) the morally right way, “according to the way one ought to go”; (2) personal aptitude, i.e., the manner of life for which one is destined, as “the way of Egypt” (Is 10:24). Neither interpretation, however, accounts for the pronoun in the Hebrew phrase, lit., “his own way.” The most natural solution is to take the whole as ironic advice (like 19:27): yes, go ahead and let the young do exactly what they want; they will become self-willed adults.
* [22:7] An observation on money and power. One who borrows becomes poor in the sense of indebted, a slave to the lender.
* [22:8] Agricultural metaphors express the failure of malicious actions. In the first line, bad actions are seeds yielding trouble. In the second line, “the rod” is a flail used to beat grains as in Is 28:27.
* [22:13] To avoid the effort required for action, the sluggard exaggerates the difficulties that must be overcome.
* [22:15] Folly is attached to children as the husk is attached to the grain. “Rod” here, as in v. 8, seems to be the flail. Discipline is the process of winnowing away the folly.
* [22:16] A difficult saying. One possibility is to take it as a seemingly neutral observation on the plight of the poor: taking money from the poor is relatively easy for the powerful but it is dangerous as the poor have the Lord as their defender (24:22–23), who will punish their oppressors. Giving to the rich, perhaps to win their favor by presents and bribes, is equally a waste of money, for the rich will always do what they please in any case.
* [22:17–24:22] This collection consists of an introduction (22:17–21) urging openness and stating the purpose of the Words and diverse admonitions, aphorisms, and counsels. It is written with faith in the Lord, shrewdness, and a satirical eye. The first part seems aimed at young people intent on a career (22:22–23:11); the second is taken up with the concerns of youth (23:12–35); the third part is interested in the ultimate fate of the good and the wicked (24:1–22). The whole can be described as a guidebook of professional ethics. The aim is to inculcate trust in the Lord and to help readers avoid trouble and advance their careers by living according to wisdom. Its outlook is very practical: avoid bad companions because in time you will take on some of their qualities; do not post bond for others because you yourself will be encumbered; do not promote yourself too aggressively because such promotion is self-defeating; do not abuse sex or alcohol because they will harm you; do not emulate your peers if they are wicked (23:14; 24:1, 19) because such people have no future. Rather, trust the vocation of a sage (22:29–23:9).
The Egyptian Instructions of Amenemope (written ca. 1100 B.C.) was discovered in 1923. Scholars immediately recognized it as a source of Prv 22:17–23:11. The Egyptian work has thirty chapters (cf. Prv 22:20); its preface resembled Prv 22:17–21; its first two admonitions matched the first two in Proverbs (Prv 22:22–25). There are many other resemblances as well, some of which are pointed out in the notes. The instruction of a father to his son (or an administrator to his successor) was a well-known genre in Egypt; seventeen works are extant, spanning the period from 2500 B.C. to the first century A.D. The instructions aimed to help a young person live a happy and prosperous life and avoid mistakes that cause difficulties. They make concrete and pragmatic suggestions rather than hold up abstract ideals. Pragmatic though they were, the instructions were religious; they assumed that the gods implanted an order in the world (Egyptian maat), which is found both in nature and in the human world. Amenemope represents a stage in the development of the Egyptian genre, displaying a new inwardness and quest for serenity while still assuming that the practice of virtue brings worldly success. Proverbs borrows from the Egyptian work with great freedom: it does not, for example, import as such the Egyptian concept of order; it engages the reader with its characteristic wit, irony, and paradox (e.g., 22:26–27; 23:1–3).
* [22:17–23:35] The maxims warn against: robbing the poor and defenseless (22:22–23), anger (22:24–25), giving surety for debts (22:26–27), advancing oneself by socializing with rulers (23:1–2), anxiety for riches (23:4–5), forcing oneself on a grudging host (23:6–8), intemperance in food and drink (23:19–21, 29–35), and adultery (23:26–28). They exhort to: careful workmanship (22:29), respect for the rights of orphans (23:10–11), correction of the young (23:13–14), filial piety (23:15–16, 22–25), and fear of the Lord (23:17–18).
* [22:22] At the gate: of the city, where justice was administered and public affairs discussed; cf. Ru 4:1. Cf. also Ps 69:13; 127:5; Prv 24:7; 31:23, 31. The Lord will personally avenge those who have no one to defend them.
* [22:27] Providing surety for a debtor puts one in danger of having the very basics of one’s life suddenly seized.
* [22:28] Landmark: marks the boundary of property. To remove it is the equivalent of stealing land. A similar warning is contained in 23:10.
d. [22:8] Jb 4:8; Sir 7:3; Hos 8:7.
**24Do not be friendly with hotheads,
nor associate with the wrathful,
25Lest you learn their ways,
and become ensnared.**
Good advice.
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