2019 Jan 17 Proverbs 17, Psalms, Philippians 1
2019 Jan 17 Proverbs 17, Psalms, Philippians 1
A warm welcome, wishing you a pleasant day! Let's continue in Proverbs 17, verses 15-20:
"15 Anyone who acquits the wicked one and anyone who condemns the righteous one—Both of them are detestable to Jehovah. 16 What good is it that the stupid one has the means to acquire wisdom When he has no heart for acquiring it? 17 A true friend shows love at all times And is a brother who is born for times of distress. 18 A man lacking good sense shakes hands and agrees To put up security in the presence of his neighbor. 19 The one who loves conflict loves transgression. Anyone who makes his entryway high invites a crash. 20 The one who is crooked at heart will not find success, And the one who speaks deceitfully will fall into ruin."
Prove 17:15 How seriously does God take justice? Deuteronomy 32:4 says of Jehovah: "4The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; Righteous and upright is he." Usually Jehovah hates the practice of bad, while loving people, even wrongdoers, hoping for their repentance. But occasionally some practice is so detestable to God that he condemns the person who practices it. Such is the case here where someone would release an evil person from due just punishment, as though he were innocent, and another who would cause a righteous one to be unjustly punished. At Isaiah 5:20,23 God says: "Woe to those who say that good is bad and bad is good, those who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, those who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!...Those who acquit the wicked for a bribe and who deny justice to the righteous!" May we seek understanding of God's righteousness, that we may hate what is bad and love what is good, in harmony with godly wisdom. God would thus say, as at Proverbs 27:11: "Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, So that I can make a reply to him who taunts me." Our stand on the side of true justice and righteousness brings God great pleasure.
Prove 17:16 The morally stupid one often knows the right thing but unwisely chooses against it. The proverbs laments that such a one could obtain godly wisdom while having "no heart," or "lacking good motive." He is not properly motivated, out of love for God with godly fear, or a healthy dread of displeasing God. Using divine knowledge with selfish motives--this may remind us of 2Timothy 3:5, speaking of those "having an appearance of godliness but proving false to its power; and from these turn away." As the Proverb says, "What good is it" for this to happen?
Prove 17:17 In contrast to one having "no heart," the true friend of Proverbs 17:17 has a true, deep, loyal love, eager to assist one experiencing "times of distress." Rather than fleeing those experiencing difficulty, he rather is made for helping such ones. Jehovah sets the example for this, saying of Himself, at Isaiah 57:15b: "“I reside in the high and holy place, But also with those crushed and lowly in spirit, To revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of those being crushed." May we strive for true love in our life, taking steps to obtain godly wisdom which true love acts in harmony with, making it possible for our desire to love others to be wisely directed, to do what is truly in others' best and lasting welfare.
Prove 17:18 Proverbs such as this one shows we should be very careful before putting up security for a loan. How easy it could be to suffer financial losses in such circumstances! God's word repeatedly gives warning to be on guard. How much better for us and others to save for what we want wherever possible, rather than seeking loans, often with exorbitant interest. This practice can lead to greater and greater debt--eventually needing to be paid at great sacrifice! Let us be in the practice of saving, rather than borrowing.
Prove 17:19 Loving conflict is out of harmony with the peace that God wants all mankind to enjoy, on the basis of genuine trust in God and all right-hearted humans. God's laws or Christian guidelines are set up to promote this genuine peace and associated happiness. Those loving violence and conflict, therefore, will tend to violate God's standards, sinning against God and others. Also, we would be wise to avoid flaunting any wealth we may have, as one unnecessarily 'making his entryway high.' This reflects unhealthy pride in any sort of wealth we may possess, and as we know "Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling." (Prove 16:18). Proverbs 13:7 says "There is one who pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; There is another who pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth." In harmony with righteousness, however, this "pretending" would not go to the point of being overtly deceitful in speech or action.
Prove 17:20 Among the most important of qualities before God is humility and honest integrity. God loves and blesses such qualities including genuine honesty in speech, promoting trust between fellow right-hearted ones. Deceitful hearts will not find true success, despite what they are seeking. Deceitful speech, attempting to mislead others, leads only to "ruin." How much better to learn true wisdom and righteousness, learning to hold a course of integrity, which will have the blessing of God. Having God's blessing can make us truly successful in life, leading to the reward of eternal life.
Psalm 89 (Book 3, 17th psalm) is 52 verses long. Let's consider a few verses at a time for a while, starting with verses 1-4:
"1 I will sing about Jehovah’s expressions of loyal love forever. With my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. 2 For I have said: “Loyal love will be built up forever, And you have firmly established your faithfulness in the heavens.” 3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 4 ‘I will firmly establish your offspring forever, And I will build up your throne for all generations.’”"
To sing about Jehovah's expressions of loyal love, we should know some of them, as expressed in His word. May we take note of God's expressions of love to us as we come across them when reading God's word, as they're often found in the Psalms. God also should be praised for His faithfulness. He is faithful to His own elevated standards, always acting in harmony with true justice. He is also loyal to His faithful servants trusting in Him, as they have come to trust in His faithfulness. Also God promised that one in the hereditary line of King David of ancient Israel, would receive kingship in the rulership of God, expressed in God's Kingdom government which will usher in blessings from God himself, upholding His sovereign right to rule mankind. May we appreciate God's arrangement to usher in true righteousness, peace and happiness to all rightly-inclined humans!
Philippians 1:6,7 expresses the apostle Paul's confidence that God would loyally follow through with His purpose, as He has gathered ones to rule with Christ in the coming Kingdom of God, scourging them with corrective discipline to ensure their proper training and worthiness of their calling as associate kings and priests. The Philippians were in Paul's heart as feeling for Paul in his prison bonds. The verses read: "For I am confident of this very thing, that the one who started a good work in you will bring it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.7 It is only right for me to think this regarding all of you, since I have you in my heart, you who are sharers with me in the undeserved kindness both in my prison bonds and in the defending and legally establishing of the good news."


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