Month: May 2021

Scripture Readings Proverbs 18:1Ezekiel 33–34John 4Psalms 141 Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:1) An unfriendly person pursues selfish ends     and against all sound judgment starts quarrels. Meditation Proverbs 18:1 is one of those verses that may sound radically different depending on the translation you read. The NRSV translates the proverb, saying, “The one who lives alone is self-indulgent, showing contempt for all who have sound judgment.” However the NRSV also notes that the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain. The ESV is very close to the literal Hebrew when it says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:28Ezekiel 31–32John 2–3Psalms 140 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:28) Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent,     and discerning if they hold their tongues. Meditation We have a couple of English sayings that are very similar to today’s proverb. One quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln, and the other to Mark Twain — although there is no proof that either man ever said anything like these proverbs. But according to our cultural wisdom, Abraham Lincoln said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.” Mark Twain is credited as…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:27Ezekiel 29–30John 1Psalms 139 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:27) The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint,     and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Meditation Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 17:27, tells us, in the NIV, “The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered.” The ESV gives me a slightly different perspective, even though it is extremely similar: “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” I’m tempted not to write any more — to use an English proverb, “the less said, the…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:22Ezekiel 27–28James 4–5Psalms 138 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:22) A cheerful heart is good medicine,     but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Meditation Proverbs 17:22 is one of the first proverbs that I ever loved. When I was in high school, I learned a song set to the King James Version of this verse. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.” The tune was jaunty, and to this day I cannot read this verse — no matter the translation — without hearing that song in my head. But the…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:20Ezekiel 25–26James 1–3Psalms 137 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:20) One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper;     one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. Meditation Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 17:20, says, in the NIV, “One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble.” The ESV translation says, “A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.” Both translations are faithful to the Hebrew wording, but each offers a different perspective on the proverb. When the NIV says that one with a corrupt…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:19Ezekiel 23–24II Thessalonians 1–3Psalms 136 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:19) Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin;     whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. Meditation I read Proverbs 17:19 this morning in the ESV translation: “Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.” Then I saw the NIV translation, which translated the first half of the proverb quite differently: “Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction.” Curious, I looked at the Hebrew interlinear for the verse. In transliterated English, this is what the verse says: “He who loves transgression/rebellion…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:17Ezekiel 21–22I Thessalonians 4–5Psalms 135 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:17) A friend loves at all times,     and a brother is born for a time of adversity. Meditation Proverbs 17:17 says, in the ESV, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” I love this verse, and — having five brothers myself, I especially love the ambiguity of the second half of the proverb. Is the brother born to help you through adversity, or is your brother the cause of your adversity? Of course, with the way I tend to interpret Scripture, I think the…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:14Ezekiel 18–20I Thessalonians 1–3Psalms 134 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:14) Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;     so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. Meditation Today’s proverb gets translated a number of different ways into English. The word for word translation doesn’t include all the nuances of the Hebrew, so different translations take a slightly different approach as to how to convey that meaning. As the NIV puts Proverbs 17:4, “Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.” There is not actually a reference to a dam…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:13Ezekiel 15–17Colossians 3–4Psalms 133 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:13) Evil will never leave the house     of one who pays back evil for good. Meditation Today’s proverb is a sober warning. Proverbs 17:13 says, in the ESV, “If anyone returns evil for good, evil will not depart from his house.” This is one of God’s rules about how things work. He will not allow a wicked person to go unpunished for returning evil to those from who you have received good. Ingratitude is something God takes very seriously. But this is worse than ingratitude. Returning evil for evil may not…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 17:12Ezekiel 13–14Colossians 1–2Psalms 132 Verse Focus (Proverbs 17:12) Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs     than a fool bent on folly. Meditation The viciousness with which wild creatures will protect their young is legendary. Mother bears in particular have a reputation of being very dangerous when protecting their young. In fact, according to Bear.org, 70 per cent of the cases where humans have been killed by grizzly bears have occurred because of a mother grizzly bear protecting her cubs. This adds quite a perspective to our verse focus today! Proverbs 17:12 says, “Better to meet a…

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