Kirsty

Scripture Readings Proverbs 18:7Ezekiel 41–42John 8Psalms 145 Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:7) The mouths of fools are their undoing,     and their lips are a snare to their very lives. Meditation As we have studied proverbs through the year, we have seen the power of language, for good or evil. Today’s proverb is sobering as it tells us that fools destroy themselves through their speech. Proverbs 18:17 says, in the ESV, “A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.” We’ve all experienced what happens when we say too much. We get into trouble. Perhaps we just…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 18:5Ezekiel 39–40John 7Psalms 144 Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:5) It is not good to be partial to the wicked     and so deprive the innocent of justice. Meditation Proverbs 18:5 tells us, in the ESV, “It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.” As the NIV translates the proverb, partiality to the wicked is actually the cause of depriving the innocent of justice. In some ways, this proverb is so obviously true it makes me wonder why it’s even a proverb at all. We know God cares about justice. He is…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 18:3Ezekiel 37–38John 6Psalms 143 Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:3) When wickedness comes, so does contempt,     and with shame comes reproach. Meditation Proverbs 18:3 says, in the NIV, “When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.” The proverb is, I think, deliberately ambiguous. Does the contempt come from the wicked person, or in response to the wicked person? Likewise, does the shamed one reproach him- or herself (or others), or do others reproach the one dishonored? I think the answer has got to be both. Those who are wicked do scorn and revile other people. Part of…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 18:2Ezekiel 35–36John 5Psalms 142 Verse Focus (Proverbs 18:2) Fools find no pleasure in understanding     but delight in airing their own opinions. Meditation Have you ever been so eager to express your thoughts that you didn’t finish listening to what someone else was saying? It’s easy to be self-centered and so focused on your own ideas that you stop paying attention to what others are saying. And, yet, according to Scripture, this is foolish behavior. Proverbs 18:2 says, “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.” It takes maturity to listen fully to others.…

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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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