Welcome, with warm wishes! Early in Proverbs, Jehovah provides some words of strong correction, or reproof, primarily meant not to condemn, but to humble us under His mighty hand. Let's consider these, as well as Stanza 2B of Psalm 119.

Occasionally God may provide strong warnings--we should not let these discourage us, but move us to hate what is bad, and pursue what is right and good, to the pleasure of Jehovah.

"23 Respond to my reproof. Then I will pour out my spirit for you; I will make my words known to you. 24 Because I called out, but you kept refusing, I stretched out my hand, but no one was paying attention, 25 You kept neglecting all my advice And rejecting my reproof, 26 I also will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when what you dread comes, 27 When what you dread comes like a storm, And your disaster arrives like a storm wind, When distress and trouble come upon you. 28 At that time they will keep calling me, but I will not answer; They will eagerly look for me, but they will not find me, 29 Because they hated knowledge, And they did not choose to fear Jehovah."

In rare cases, Jehovah limits the compassion he shows toward certain humans. 2Peter 3:9 says Jehovah "does not desire anyone to be destroyed, but desires all to attain to repentance." Yet Jehovah has a day or time for removing incorrigible evil from planet Earth, for the happiness and benefit of peace-loving, righteously-inclined humans. The more who respond to God's merciful pleas now, the fewer will be called to account at that time. As Isaiah 55:6,7 says, "Search for Jehovah while he may be found. Call to him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked man leave his way And the evil man his thoughts; Let him return to Jehovah, who will have mercy on him, To our God, for he will forgive in a large way." Still, these words of Proverbs 1:24-33 stand as a warning, that wrongdoers should realize there is no true benefit to practicing evil.

"23 Respond to my reproof. Then I will pour out my spirit for you; I will make my words known to you."

Prove 1:23 Far more beneficial is repenting over any wrong past, and appreciating God's willingness to forgive such ones and help them turn to doing good, even providing his powerful holy spirit to assist them.

Prove 1:24-29 Jehovah 'calls out' and 'stretches out his hand' toward all, including wrongdoers, to spare them from the harmful consequences of badness. Yet the ones receiving the judgements of verses 26-28 are those who refuse to finally listen to God's pleas. They "kept neglecting" God's advice, and kept rejecting God's reproof, or strong counsel and loving correction. Who wouldn't benefit from the Creator's intervention, from listening to the One who made man, who knows us like no one else? May we ever appreciate God's loving advice and counsel! Because of refusing God's loving appeals, again we see an example of limited compassion on God's part. He usually sets an example in compassion, and encourages humans to show it toward all. (2Chro 36:15; Colos 3:12). We're encouraged to "return evil for evil to no one," to look to God to repay, He saying "Vengeance is mine--I shall repay," says Jehovah. (Romans 12:17-21). Wrongdoers should not think of waiting to the last possible minute to consider turning around from their evil. In these verses, we see they will begin to suffer the consequences of their mistakes, including "distress and trouble," but God will not then listen to their cries for help. It will be too late. This is because they "hated knowledge," particularly divine knowledge, and they "did not choose to fear Jehovah." Clearly, these have the freedom, or free will, to choose their path. They are not fated to be evil and lose out on eternal life. They need to listen to God, and follow the ensuing counsel of Proverbs 2:1-6 to come to learn the fear of Jehovah and find "the knowledge of God."

PSALM 119

Let's now consider Stanza 2B of Psalm 119, verses 13-16:

"13 With my lips I declare All the judgments that you have spoken. 14 I rejoice over your reminders More than over all other valuable things. 15 I will ponder over your orders And keep my eyes on your paths. 16 I am fond of your statutes. I will not forget your word."

"13 With my lips I declare All the judgments that you have spoken."

VALUE GOD'S TRUE AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS. The psalmist recognizes the value of Jehovah's judgments, as much can be learned from them. Psalm 19:9 says of these: "The judgments of Jehovah are true, altogether righteous." Thus His evaluations of matters can be counted upon, and learned from.While we usually think of God's judgments as regards situations involving right or wrong conduct, we should also trust God's judgments as to what truly is and isn't important in life.When it comes to the situations mentioned, Jehovah's judgments often emphasize His mercy and understanding toward His precious human creation, He looking for the causes of wrong behavior, rather than being quick to condemn. Still, He cannot condone evil, or wrong behavior, as we should ever appreciate His loving counsel and warnings, so as to live and act in harmony with His right standards, contributing toward the genuine peace and happiness of all humans. Such is the way of eternity!

"14 I rejoice over your reminders More than over all other valuable things."

FINDING DELIGHT IN GOD'S REMINDERS. What a fine statement of appreciation for God's loving reminders. His word outlines certain reminders that Christians should receive on a regular basis, to assist recall of all of God's instructions for living. How significant, that the psalmist not only knows these are important, but considers them so highly that he delights in them "more than all other valuable things!" It is God who provides His holy spirit to genuine Christians, the fruitage of which includes the quality of "joy"--a deep seated satisfaction we find in serving Jehovah faithfully. Nehemiah speaks of the "joy of Jehovah" as being a stronghold for His people. As we consider God's word regularly, may we come to find such delight in serving Jehovah, and being reminded of the important instructions He provides for our everlasting happiness!

"15 I will ponder over your orders And keep my eyes on your paths."

KEEPING GOD'S ORDERS. God's orders are special commands that God considers so serious or important now that He essentially demands they be kept by those so ordered to do so. We should appreciate the sincere and loving motive of Jehovah in giving such orders, as Psalm 19:8 says: "The orders from Jehovah are righteous, causing the heart to rejoice." By keeping such orders from Jehovah, we thus find heartfelt joy in the activity God requires of His people. Recognizing the importance of this, then, the psalmist states he "will ponder over" God's orders. He thus makes time to reflect on these, considering the reasons for them so as to understand and discern their importance, thereby placing them high on his list of priorities in life. Also, he states he will keep his eyes on God's paths. Thus, God's ways of doing things, as often outlined in His word, are the best ways of handling matters, as can be seen by examining them in light of truth and what is right.

"16 I am fond of your statutes. I will not forget your word."