Month: August 2021

Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:30Joshua 7–8Mark 13Psalms 49 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:30) There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan     that can succeed against the LORD. Meditation Today’s verse focus is Proverbs 21:30, which says, in the NIV, “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD.” As the NRSV says, “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the LORD.” I happened to look up the Hebrew word that is being translated as “against.” I suppose I was wondering who would be fighting against the LORD. Who would oppose Him? Or His plans? To my…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:25–26Joshua 5–6Mark 12Psalms 48 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:25–26) 25The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,     because his hands refuse to work.26All day long he craves for more,     but the righteous give without sparing. Meditation Our verse focus today is Proverbs 21:25-26. Once again we learn of the folly of sluggards: laziness leads to death. As the NIV translates these verses, “The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work. All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.” There are two phrases in…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:23Joshua 3–4Mark 11Psalms 47 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:23) Those who guard their mouths and their tongues     keep themselves from calamity. Meditation Proverbs 21:23 says, in the NKJV, “Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.” Short, sweet, and to the point. It’s curious, though, that we have both “mouth” and “tongue” that should be guarded. Perhaps the mouth indicates both appetite as well as speech. Metaphorically, the mouth can refer to what we consume — whether that is food, or entertainment, or our values. I like what the Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:21Joshua 1–2Mark 10Psalms 46 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:21) Whoever pursues righteousness and love     finds life, prosperity and honor. Meditation Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 21:21, says, in the ESV, “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.” The NIV says that this person will find “life, prosperity and honor,” but has a note that prosperity can also be translated as righteousness. In fact, the Hebrew word used is the same in both the first and the second halves of the proverb: if it means righteousness the first time around, one would assume it means righteousness the…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:19Ecclesiastes 11–12Mark 9Psalms 45 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:19) Better to live in a desert     than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. Meditation Less than a week ago we looked at a proverb that said it was better to live in the corner of a roof than with a quarrelsome wife (Proverbs 21:9; August 12, Day 224). Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 21:19, is very similar. It says, “Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.” So is there anything new we can learn from today’s verse? Certainly, it’s always good to be reminded of…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:17Ecclesiastes 9–10Mark 8Psalms 44 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:17) Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;     whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich. Meditation Today’s proverb says, “Whoever loves pleasure will become poor; whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.” It’s a little bit dismaying to read this nugget of wisdom. After all, who doesn’t love pleasure? Who doesn’t enjoy good things? Who doesn’t appreciate quality in the finer things of life? But I think it’s a matter of priorities. It’s okay to enjoy pleasure, but if you love it more than you love…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:16Ecclesiastes 7–8Mark 7Psalms 43 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:16) Whoever strays from the path of prudence     comes to rest in the company of the dead. Meditation Our verse focus today is Proverbs 21:16 which says, in the NIV, “Whoever strays from the path of prudence comes to rest in the company of the dead.” This is a pretty sobering warning! Imprudence leads to death. The proverb is almost shocking in its clarity. The virtue of prudence comes up frequently in Scripture, particularly in the book of Proverbs. There is a strong connection between wisdom and prudence. As Proverbs 8:12…

Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:13Ecclesiastes 5–6Mark 6Psalms 42 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:13) Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor     will also cry out and not be answered. Meditation Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 21:13, says in the ESV, “Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.” This ties in nicely with some of the things we have been learning in the past couple of days. Yesterday’s psalm spoke of how those who consider the poor are blessed; two days ago we reflected on Jesus’ command in Mark 4 to pay…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:11Ecclesiastes 3–4Mark 5Psalms 41 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:11) When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom;     by paying attention to the wise they get knowledge. Meditation Day 225. Tee hee! 🙂 Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 21:11, says, in the NKJV, “When the scoffer is punished, the simple is made wise; but when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.” This translation is very close to the transliterated Hebrew, which is one reason why I like it. It is similar to the NIV of 1984, which says, “When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; when a…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 21:9Ecclesiastes 1–2Mark 4Psalms 40 Verse Focus (Proverbs 21:9) Better to live on a corner of the roof     than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. Meditation Proverbs 21:9 says, “Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.” We looked at a proverb similar to this about a month ago. On July 15th (Day 196), we looked at Proverbs 19:13, which says, “A foolish child is a father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof.” Unfortunately, these two proverbs are not the only…

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