Kirsty

Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:12Exodus 19–20Luke 4Psalms 75 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:12) Hope deferred makes the heart sick,     but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Meditation Day 75! Congratulations, everyone. 🙂 Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” We all understand this proverb. Who hasn’t hoped for something, only to be disappointed when nothing happens or seems to happen? Hopes of news from family or friends, hopes for shiny new toys, hopes to hear from prospective employers — you can easily name a dozen things that you have hoped…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:11Exodus 17–18Luke 3Psalms 74 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:11) Dishonest money dwindles away,     but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Meditation Today’s proverb says, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.” “Dishonest money” is also translated as “Wealth hastily gotten,” “wealth from vanity,” and “wealth gained by fraud.” The “hastily gotten” comes from the Vulgate, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. The actual Hebrew, however, uses a word that means breath or vapor — thus, metaphorically, vanity. Wealth from vanity, again metaphorically, is wealth obtained through deceit or…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:10Exodus 15–16Luke 2Psalms 73 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:10) Where there is strife, there is pride,     but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Meditation According to the New International Version (NIV), Proverbs 13:10 says, “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” That seems quite straightforward — until you read it in a different translation. When I read the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), it said, “By insolence the heedless make strife, but wisdom is with those who take advice.” What? Okay, the second half is nearly the same.…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:9Exodus 13–14Luke 1Psalms 72 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:9) The light of the righteous shines brightly,     but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. Meditation In the New International Version, Proverbs 13:9 says, “The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out.” A lovely proverb. And yet, the “shines brightly” is actually a bit of an interpretation for us. What the Hebrew word literally means is “rejoices.” So, as the New King James Version puts this proverb, “The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:6Exodus 11–12II JohnIII JohnPsalms 71 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:6) Righteousness guards the person of integrity,     but wickedness overthrows the sinner. Meditation Today’s proverb says, in the NRSV, “Righteousness guards one whose way is upright, but sin overthrows the wicked.” It’s a comforting proverb, to know that righteousness protects the saints. But it also makes it very hard for me to understand why anyone would choose sinful paths if you really understood how you would get betrayed by that same sin. Of course, that’s the whole problem with sin. It’s seductive, and very much concerned about the present moment…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:4Exodus 9–10I John 4–5Psalms 70 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:4) A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,     but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Meditation When I read Proverbs 13:4 this morning, it was in another translation than that of the NIV listed above. The wording was different enough that it gave me another slant on what this proverb is trying to tell us. So I looked up various translations to compare. I like the English Standard Version (ESV) because it is very close to the original Hebrew. It says, “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 13:3Exodus 7–8I John 1–3Psalms 69 Verse Focus (Proverbs 13:3) Those who guard their lips preserve their lives,     but those who speak rashly will come to ruin. Meditation Proverbs 13:3 is yet another proverb that looks at the power of the tongue. As the NRSV puts it, “Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives; those who open wide their lips come to ruin.” Only a few days ago we were talking about rash words. Then the contrast was between healing and harm; today the contrast is between self-preservation and ruin. Yet another very good reason to control our…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 12:28Exodus 5–6II Corinthians 12–13Psalms 68 Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:28) In the way of righteousness there is life;     along that path is immortality. Meditation Today’s proverb speaks of life and even immortality for those who walk in the way of righteousness. It is an impressive promise, but is this guaranteed for us? Certainly, we see that this proved literally true for Jesus Christ (at least in terms of his mortal body, since he already had life before he was incarnated)! But are we being promised immortality? I suppose in Jesus Christ, the answer is yes, of course. But in…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 12:25Exodus 3–4II Corinthians 10–11Psalms 67 Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:25) Anxiety weighs down the heart,     but a kind word cheers it up. Meditation Our proverb today, Proverbs 12:25, tells us that “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.” The NRSV translation is very similar, saying, “Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up.” I was curious why the NRSV said “good” rather than “kind.” Especially since “kind word” is the translation that I’m most familiar with. So I did a quick comparison of English translations of this proverb. A…

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Scripture Readings Proverbs 12:22Exodus 1–2II Corinthians 7–9Psalms 66 Verse Focus (Proverbs 12:22) The LORD detests lying lips,     but he delights in people who are trustworthy. Meditation In the New Revised Standard Version, Proverbs 12:22 says, “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” The NIV expresses it a little differently, saying, “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” In fact, this is clearly a case where the Hebrew words convey a broader meaning than our English words — and so there is a fair amount of variety…

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