Kirsty

Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:7Exodus 39–40Luke 14Psalms 85 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:7) Stay away from a fool,     for you will not find knowledge on their lips. Meditation Proverbs 14:7 counsels us to “Stay away from a fool, for you will not find knowledge on their lips.” In some ways, this proverb is telling us something that is very obvious: fools are foolish. They do not have wisdom, they do not have knowledge. But it’s what the proverb implies that I find more fascinating. The proverb implies that the only reason you would want to be with someone is because that person has…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:6Exodus 37–38Luke 13Psalms 84 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:6) The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,     but knowledge comes easily to the discerning. Meditation Proverbs 14:6 says, “The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.” As I read it this morning in the NRSV, it said, “A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for one who understands.” I have been thinking about this proverb. Why can’t the mocker or the scoffer find wisdom? It’s not like wisdom is hiding. You might have to search for it — it might take…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 14:3Exodus 35–36Luke 12Psalms 83 Verse Focus (Proverbs 14:3) A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride,     but the lips of the wise protect them. Meditation Today’s verse focus is one that comes across differently depending on the translation you read. As the NRSV puts it, “The talk of fools is a rod for their backs, but the lips of the wise preserve them.” The KJV says, “In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride; but the lips of the wise shall preserve them.” The NIV of 1984 said, “A fool’s talk brings a rod to his…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:24Exodus 33–34Luke 11Psalms 82 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:24) Whoever spares the rod hates their children,     but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them. Meditation Today’s verse focus, Proverbs 13:24, metaphorically speaks of corporal punishment in disciplining children. Some modern theories of parenting consider any kind of spanking or physical discipline to be not only archaic, but actually damaging to young psyches. And, of course, we are too familiar with stories of abuse, of physical punishment that was less about teaching someone than it was about about having someone weaker to use as a punching…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:21Exodus 31–32Luke 10Psalms 81 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:21) Trouble pursues the sinner,     but the righteous are rewarded with good things. Meditation According to the NIV, our verse focus today says, “Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things.” As I read Proverbs 13:21 this morning in the NRSV, it gave me a slightly different slant, saying, “Misfortune pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous.” Hmmmm. Prosperity. That sounds pretty nice, huh? So I took a look at a number of different translations. Universally, the different translations contrast sinners against the righteous. Sinners are chased…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:20Exodus 29–30Luke 9Psalms 80 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:20) Walk with the wise and become wise,     for a companion of fools suffers harm. Meditation Proverbs 13:20 has long been a favorite proverb of mine. As I memorized it in high school, the NIV of 1978 says, “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” Since I desired to become wise myself, this proverb guided both my thinking and my choice of friends. It’s very simple: if you want to be wise, then hang out with people who are wise. But this proverb…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:19Exodus 27–28Luke 8Psalms 79 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:19) A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul,     but fools detest turning from evil. Meditation Hello! Happy Spring to you. 🙂 Proverbs 13:19 is an interesting proverb. As the NIV puts it, “A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but fools detest turning from evil.” From the way proverbs are usually constructed, we know that the first half of the proverb parallels the second half of the proverb in some way. So even though we do not see an immediate and obvious connection, turning from evil — which fools…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:18Exodus 25–26Luke 7Psalms 78 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:18) Whoever disregards discipline comes to poverty and shame,     but whoever heeds correction is honored. Meditation The more proverbs we look at, the more they sound the same to me! The themes are repeated over and over again: wisdom, discipline, and instruction lead to life, blessing, and prosperity, while disregarding correction and ignoring discipline leads to a very bad outcome. Isn’t this more or less what yesterday’s proverb said? But each proverb emphasizes a slightly different facet. In the NRSV, today’s proverb says, “Poverty and disgrace are for the one who…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:15Exodus 23–24Luke 6Psalms 77 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:15) Good judgment wins favor,     but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. Meditation Our verse focus today, Proverbs 13:15, says in the NRSV, “Good sense wins favor, but the way of the faithless is their ruin.” This isn’t a proverb that I’ve spent much time thinking about previously, so I took a look at some of the other translations to see if I could gain insight that way. Good judgment, good sense, good understanding — the translations are all fairly similar. One translation says, “keen insight” and another…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:14Exodus 21–22Luke 5Psalms 76 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:14) The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,     turning a person from the snares of death. Meditation Proverbs 13:14 says, “The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death.” By now, we’ve looked at a number of proverbs that talk about the benefits of wisdom. We’ve even seen the connection between life and learning. We know that wisdom protects us, guards us, and gives us longer life. But we haven’t really looked in depth at the opposite side of…

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