https://youtu.be/i4i2AV9mVhE Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. Proverbs 14:4 ESV DEFINING THE PRINCIPLE ON CLEANLINESS AND ORDERLINESS EMBRACING THE MANGER The wisdom literature of the Bible (that is, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) holds a special place in my heart. …
https://open.spotify.com/episode/1VQNZtJJkV6FhlCiBHXfYU?si=iE1UymdURS6L_VOMJRS1Eg Saying that you have a favorite book of the Bible kind of feels as wrong as saying that you have a favorite child. It is all God's inspired Word, so we should love all of it equally, right? Well, maybe favoritism is the wrong way to think of it; nevertheless, I do think that …
Continue reading Rethinking the Relationship Between Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, & Song of Songs
Yesterday I was invited to be a guest preacher at a sister congregation, and these are the notes for that sermon. For the next passage in Mark that was preached yesterday, you can listen to Pastor Jim's sermon here. My son, be attentive to my words;incline your ear to my sayings.Let them not escape from …
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,but the LORD weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 ESV As this verse states, self-justification comes all too easy. For example, I immediately condemn the driver who cuts me off, but whenever I cut someone off, then it is justified as being either an accident or …
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife,but every fool will be quarreling. Proverbs 20:3 ESV Although all of Proverbs applies to all ages of humanity, this verse feels particularly relevant today. With advent of the Internet and especially social media, it sometimes seems as though life has become one massive …
A man of violence entices his neighbor and leads him in a way that is not good. Proverbs 16:29 ESV Why does violence entice? After all, don't we tend to find violence revolting rather than exciting? We like to think that. Shirking away from violence is the socially appropriate response. But deep down, I believe, …
There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 16:25 ESV What proverb better describes life in the aftermath of the Fall? Our sin clouds our judgments. It covers our eyes. We seek after things that seem to bring joy, pleasure, and happiness, but they …
Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. Proverbs 16:20 ESV The natural interpretation of this verse would seem to refer to our words, our speech. Giving thought to the word, therefore, would be guarding one's mouth, considering carefully beforehand what is about to be …
Continue reading Whoever Gives Thought to the Word | Proverbs 16:20
The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life. Proverbs 16:17 ESV The path of the upright veers to avoid evil. Indeed, it is the avoidance of evil that makes one upright at all. How do we do this? By guarding our ways. By being vigilantly attendant …
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Proverbs 11:24 ESV The natural impulse is to hoard. Money, food, stuff. Everything is gathered together, then guarded. We don't call it selfishness. It's self-preservation, prudence. After all, how can we help others if we don't …
Continue reading One Gives Freely; Another Withholds | Proverbs 11:24
B. C. Newton 