Hello, and a warm welcome! Let's continue in Proverbs 16, with verses 13-19, then consider another selection from the Mosaic Law. l'm replaying Monday's TWGA on Hands-only CPR, and the weekly CTC Corner.
"13 Righteous speech is a pleasure to kings. They love someone who speaks honestly. 14 The king’s rage is like a messenger of death, But the wise man appeases it. 15 In the light of the king’s face there is life; His favor is like a cloud of rain in spring. 16 How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is to be chosen over silver. 17 The highway of the upright avoids what is bad. Whoever safeguards his way preserves his life. 18 Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. 19 Better to be humble among the meek Than to share the spoil of the haughty."
HONEST INTEGRITY, SPEECH.
Prove 16:13 Are you in the practice of keeping honest integrity? The righteous one finding God's pleasure in Psalm 15 is "speaking the truth in his heart." (Psalm 15:2). If you are honest-hearted, it will be natural for you to 'speak honestly' before kings or anyone else. Also, as you continue to give attention to God's word and law, you will grow in understanding God's righteousness, or the course of integrity. You will thereby be learning, not just how to speak honestly, but also how to live and act in a right, fair, and honest way in practically every situation in life. Being honest doesn't mean we have to reveal every detail of private information to those who may do harm with it. We need to learn to be discerning. God's word cautions: "There is a time to keep quiet and a time to speak." (Eccle 3:7). Also, "In the abundance of words there does not fail to be transgression, but the one keeping his lips in check is acting discreetly." Still, God's new world is to be built on genuine trust, in God and in one another. So we are generally able to find trustworthy persons among the human family, and their numbers should continue to grow--look for them!!!
"14 The king’s rage is like a messenger of death, But the wise man appeases it."
A KING'S ANGER.
Prove 16:14 The wise man may appease the king's rage by understanding or discerning it's cause(s) and reasoning on the matter accordingly in a gentle manner. (Prove 15:1). Is such wisdom valuable to you?
"15 In the light of the king’s face there is life; His favor is like a cloud of rain in spring. 16 How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is to be chosen over silver."
A KING'S FAVOR.
Prove 16:15-16 Do you want to find favor in the eyes of a right-hearted king? Then choose wisdom, or spiritual wealth, over material wealth. The latter may still follow the former, but God's favor and blessing should be the motive. Why not prefer the favor of the Loving Creator of the Universe? Psalm 95:3-5 says: "For Jehovah is a great God And a great King over all [other] gods, 4 He in whose hand are the inmost depths of the earth And to whom the peaks of the mountains belong; 5 To whom the sea, which he himself made, belongs And whose own hands formed the dry land itself." Jehovah God is thus a source of tremendous wisdom, and love with which He formed humans. May we continue to look to Him and His word for guidance in life, seeking divine favor.
"17 The highway of the upright avoids what is bad. Whoever safeguards his way preserves his life."
SAFEGUARD LIFE.
Prove 16:17 May we choose the path of the upright, which may be considered a "highway" accessible to multitudes. When we fear to displease our loving and powerful Creator, we come to hate what is bad, along with it's undesirable consequences. We can thus come to learn and discern the bad results of violating God's laws or standards, of disobeying Him. Choosing the right way throughout our day preserves our hope of eternal life, and with God's blessing may even spare us untimely death in a world still somewhat lacking in integrity.
"18 Pride is before a crash, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. 19 Better to be humble among the meek Than to share the spoil of the haughty."
AVOID CALAMITY, TREASURING HUMILITY.
Prove 16:18-19 Another significant one of the Proverbs, pride or haughtiness is the "sin that easily entangles us" that Paul mentioned when discussing true faith. (Hebr 12:1). The term "entangles" can refer to the garment worn in ancient times, which may become entangled when running, causing "stumbling." Such is the snare of pride, causing a devastating fall. We should love to maintain a humble view of ourselves, appreciating the value of others--their gifts and talents which may at times exceed our own. We should appreciate that any such that we may possess are gifts emanating from God himself, and should be used for His praise and glory--not our own. Any glory or "spoil" obtained by pride or arrogance is only temporary, as Proverbs 10:2 says "The treasures gained by wickedness will be of no benefit, but righteousness is what rescues from death."
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MOSAIC LAW
MOSAIC LAW SELECTION
CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES: GOD MERCIFULLY FORGIVES THOSE REPENTING
OVER REJECTION OF JESUS AS CHOSEN MESSIAH--THE SUFFERING HE EXPERIENCED HAD BEEN FORETOLD; FESTIVAL OF BOOTHS TEACHES IMPARTIALITY
Now let’s continue in Exodus 23 regarding the three festivals
Israel were to keep, this time the second and third one: “16 Also, you
are to observe the Festival of Harvest of the first ripe fruits of your
labors, of what you sow in the field; and the Festival of Ingathering at
the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the results of
your labors. 17 Three times a year all your men are to appear before the
true Lord, Jehovah.”
PETER'S EXHORTATION AT PENTECOST.
The first festival Israel was to keep was the Festival of Unleavened
Bread, or Unfermented Cakes, which we considered the previous day. At
that festival the first of the barley harvest was presented to Jehovah,
evidently before any other harvesting was done. The day this occurred
was Nisan 16, and seven weeks were to be counted from that day, the next
festival beginning on the 50th day, hence the term “Pentecost.” Thus,
the second festival is also called the Festival of Weeks, and
corresponded to the first of the wheat harvest. In this instance, wheat
may have been harvested prior to attending the festival, as wheat cakes
were to be made to bring and offer as a communion offering to the
attending priest. Notice further instructions regarding this second
festival: “11 And you are to rejoice before Jehovah your God, you and
your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, the Levite
who is inside your cities, the foreign resident, the fatherless child,
and the widow, who are in your midst, in the place that Jehovah your God
chooses to have his name reside.” Whereas the first festival was
evidently a close family observance, this second festival, as well as
the third, called for more openness and hospitality. Thus, large numbers
of Israel were present to hear Peter’s exhortation to repent over their
rejection of Jesus as a nation, and find favor with Jehovah as true
disciples of him. (Acts 2:1,5,14-42). He said to some, at Acts 3:17-19,
“17 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your
rulers also did. 18 But in this way God has fulfilled the things he
announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his
Christ would suffer. 19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get
your sins blotted out, so that seasons of refreshing may come from
Jehovah himself.”
IMPARTIAL JUSTICE, ACCEPTANCE OF GENTILE CHRISTIANS.
The third festival was also called the Festival of Booths, or
Tabernacles, and was associated with the end of harvest ingathering from
the fields—a time of great thanksgiving to Jehovah for His blessing on
their fruitful land. They were to make “booths” from palm fronds, boughs
of trees and poplars, which each family would occupy for the seven days
of the festival. These were to be constructed in and around Jerusalem,
on roofs, in courtyards and public squares, and along roads within a
Sabbath day’s journey. Consider what this meant: Rich and poor alike
were all to dwell in these booths made from the same materials from the
hills and countryside near Jerusalem, eating within them. What a fine
reminder of the equality with which God looked upon all of His people.
In the Law, God reminds judges, at Leviticus 19:15: “15 “‘You must not
be unjust in your judgment. You must not show partiality to the poor or
show preference to the rich. With justice you should judge your fellow
man.” Also in Job, Elihu made this statement regarding Jehovah: “19
There is One who does not show partiality to princes And who does not
favor the rich over the poor, For they are all the work of his hands.”
(Job 34:19). Thus, Peter’s assessment is applicable, when he stated at
Acts 10:34,35: “34 At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I
truly understand that God is not partial, 35 but in every nation the man
who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Therefore,
may we treat others impartially, with true love, encouraging them to
practice what is right before God, and find God’s acceptance and
blessing for them and ourselves. Spiritual wealth and wisdom is even
more advantageous than material wealth. While both, even scripturally,
have advantages, Proverbs 10:22 refers more to spiritual riches in
saying: “22 It is the blessing of Jehovah that makes one rich, And He
adds no pain with it.” Ecclesiastes 7:12 adds: “12 For wisdom is a
protection just as money is a protection, but the advantage of knowledge
is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.” May we treasure
spiritual things, our relationships with God and others, and the happy future He is making possible, more than anything else
in the current situation, moving us to be faithful and keep integrity to
our Loving God and Father, Jehovah.
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THRICE WEEKLY GOLDEN APPLES (TWGA)
REPLAY OF MONDAY'S TWGA:
With COVID-19 concerns, what would you do if someone near you needed CPR, possibly having gone into cardiac arrest? In the U.S. this has been happening about 1,000 times/ day. Here is an article I may print here...
Hands-Only CPR Can Save Someone You Love
( NewsUSA)
– Each year, June 1-7 is designated as CPR and AED Awareness Week. This
year, the significance is especially striking. As most Americans
continue to spend more of their time at home during the COVID-19
pandemic, the odds of cardiac arrests in a home setting are likely to
increase, according to the American Heart Association.Each year, more
than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the United States,
with about 70 percent happening in homes. Fortunately, Hands-Only CPR
can be performed by family or household members. Even in the time of
COVID-19, household members may be the lowest-risk providers of CPR at
home because they have likely already been exposed, if in fact the
cardiac-arrest victim has COVID-19."Rather than waiting for first
responders to arrive, performing immediate CPR in the case of cardiac
arrest can double or triple a victim’s odds of survival," says Comilla
Sasson, M.D. and Vice President of Emergency Cardiovascular Care at the
American Heart Association. "If you are willing and able to do CPR, you
should do CPR, even during this pandemic."Hands-Only CPR involves two
simple steps and anyone can learn it from a 90-second video available at heart.org/ handsonlycpr Step
1: If a teen or adult in your home suddenly collapses, call 911
immediately.Step 2: Place one hand on top of the other as shown in the
video and push hard and fast on the victim’s chest.
Tempo matters.
Rescuers should
push on the chest at a rate of 100 to 120 beats per minute and the
American Heart Association advises following the beat of any of several
songs, including "Stayin’ Alive," by the Bee Gees, "Crazy in Love," by
Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z, "Hips Don’t Lie," by Shakira" or "Walk the
Line," by Johnny Cash.People feel more confident performing Hands-Only
CPR and are more likely to remember the correct rate when trained to the
beat of a familiar song.In 2009, the American Heart Association
launched a nationwide Hands-Only CPR campaign, supported nationally by
an educational grant from the Anthem Foundation, to raise awareness
about this life-saving skill. More than 10 million people have been
trained in Hands-Only CPR via events, training kiosks and video
education with the Foundation’s support.Take advantage of
shelter-in-place time and brush up on your Hands-Only CPR skills: you
just might save someone you love. Visit heart.org/ handsonlycpr to watch and share the Hands-Only CPR instructional video.
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COME TO CONSENSUS CORNER
Week 13: ISSUE BY ISSUE ADDRESSED BY GOD’S KINGDOM: PREJUDICE & RACISM
Acts 10:34-35: “34 At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I truly understand that God is not partial, 35 but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
Leviticus 24:22 “‘One judicial decision will apply for you, whether a foreign resident or a native, because I am Jehovah your God.’”
Deuteronomy 1:16 “At that time I instructed your judges, ‘When you hear a case between your brothers, you are to judge with righteousness between a man and his brother or a foreign resident. 17 You must not be partial in judgment. You should hear the small one the same as the great one. You must not become intimidated by men, for the judgment belongs to God; and if a case is too difficult for you, you should present it to me, and I will hear it.’”
WHY A SOURCE OF DIVISION?
Certainly this ranks high among the issues in history that has been a source of tension and division when God’s view of the matter is not being held or appreciated. Why is that? Humans have been made in God’s image, and we read of God at Deuteronomy 32:4: “4 The Rock, perfect is his activity, For all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; Righteous and upright is he.” Therefore, if He is a God who is unswervingly fair and just, then each of us has within us at least the potential for a determined inclination to want to be treated fairly and justly, and to treat others in the same way, regardless of our gender, the color of our skin, the size of our wallet or purse, or any other such factor.
JUSTICE AND INTEGRITY.
The verse just highlighted says that “all [God’s] ways are justice.” One of the Bible proverbs, found in Proverbs 11:3, says this of men: “3 The integrity of the upright is what guides them, But the deviousness of the treacherous will destroy them.” Thus all that upright men do is prompted by their “integrity.” What is “integrity”? It essentially involves undeviating adherence to a certain good standard or set of standards, and is closely associated with truth and honesty. The well-known man of Bible record named Job, pronounced “Jobe” as rhyming with “robe,” had such a disposition as it related to good, upright conduct and dealings with others. The Bible record describes him as “an upright man of integrity; he feared God and shunned what was bad.” (Job 1:1). He lived even before the time of Moses, and while he became wealthy, he was well-loved and respected for his fair and just treatment of others.
GOD’S GOODNESS.
This godly justice became like clothing to him—identifying him. In Job 29, he says: “11 Whoever heard me would speak well of me, And those who saw me would testify for me.12 For I would rescue the poor who cried for help, Along with the fatherless child and anyone who had no helper.13 The one about to perish would bless me, And I made the heart of the widow rejoice.14 I put on righteousness as my clothing; My justice was like a robe and a turban.15 I became eyes to the blind And feet to the lame.16 I was a father to the poor; I would investigate the legal case of those I did not know.17 I would break the jaws of the wrongdoer And tear the prey away from his teeth.” Thus Job’s integrity guided him to uphold good, right and fair conduct in dealing compassionately with others. Job did need correction for exalting his own righteousness more than God’s, but he accepted this correction (Job 42). Thus, it is Jehovah God who ultimately moves us to do good, to save and rescue and treat others worthily, as we seek His honor, upholding His ways. Romans 8:28 says in part “We know that God makes all his works cooperate together for the good of those who love God.” With Job’s integrity being described in chapter 30, it was largely his fear of displeasing God, involving a hatred of badness and it’s resulting harm, that moved him to speak and act the way he did.
GOD’S KINGDOM RULE.
Thus, this has everything to do with the rule of God’s Kingdom. This rulership, rather than ignoring God and His counsel, will actually uphold and fear, or highly regard, Him and His ways. People will be treated with the dignity that they should be, as they continue learning how to love Jehovah and live by Christian laws and standards. Jesus certainly set an example as one putting God first, giving Him due honor, upholding His word and law. Thus the king of God’s Kingdom, installed by God, will likewise, as foretold, live, speak, and act by God’s standards. A prophecy in Psalm 72, for instance, says: “72 O God, give your judgments to the king, And endow the son of the king with your righteousness. 2 May he plead the cause of your people with righteousness, And of your lowly ones with justice. 3 May the mountains bring peace to the people, And may the hills bring righteousness. 4 Let him defend the lowly among the people, Let him save the sons of the poor, And let him crush the defrauder. 5 They will fear you as long as there is a sun And as long as the moon remains, For generation after generation...12 For he will rescue the poor who cry for help, Also the lowly one and whoever has no helper.13 He will have pity on the lowly and the poor, And the lives of the poor he will save.14 From oppression and from violence he will rescue them, And their blood will be precious in his eyes.”
HAVING GOD’S VIEW.
In verse 1, this one is endowed with God’s righteousness. Thus any expression of compassion is manifested in harmony with God’s elevated laws and standards—not merely human ideas. Thus God’s word would be shared freely by this one, helping many to adhere to it’s beneficial standards. (Matthew 4:4). It is therefore true loyal love that is shown, which seeks the long-term benefit of each person, in agreement with the will of God for the endless peace and happiness of humankind. Verse 2 indicates that mistreated ones would find true justice, which includes mercy where appropriate in God’s view. Verse 4 shows the poor receive salvation, whether materially destitute, or those lacking spiritually, though deeply wanting to receive spiritual nourishment. Verse 5 shows appreciative ones will loyally respond in the genuine fear of God, eternally grateful and deeply respectful of His divine guidance and law. Verse 12 reminds us of Job’s expression of integrity, as God’s chosen one likewise rescues those in need of help. And verses 13-14 show they will be saved even from oppression and violence, as God’s kingdom begins in the near future, such ones being viewed as precious in his eyes, rather than as having little to offer the king.
CONCLUSION
GOD’S FAIR RULE!
Thus it should be abundantly clear that God’s Kingdom will rule based on truth and law, in harmony with God, especially the “royal law” of true love, as made manifest in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. Rather than advantaged ones concerned that they might not be shown favoritism, or be treated with partiality, all persons will be favored with the joy of true love shown to one another and life experienced in line with God’s beneficial and peaceable ways. God's standards of justice are clear in God's word, and will be upheld in His new world under the rule of His Kingdom. Such injustices as bigotry, prejudice, and racism, will no longer be accepted.
Isaiah 32:1 foretells: "Look! A king will reign for righteousness, And princes will rule for justice."
Deuteronomy 19:15 for instance, shows that true justice is God's standard: “‘You must not be unjust in your judgment. You must not show partiality to the poor or show preference to the rich. With justice you should judge your fellow man."
While persons will be treated fairly, we will still have a relatively free market society, but especially blessed by God, where people can pursue even dream jobs and make their life largely what they put into it. And of course, also rest and relaxation, engaging in hobbies and recreational activities, delighting in the company of friends of peace. Many will really delight in making a living doing something they truly enjoy that benefits others in large or small ways. In time, Isaiah 14:7 will prove true, saying: "7 The whole earth has come to rest, has become free of disturbance. People have become cheerful with joyful cries."
With God’s full blessing, the result will be a secure, peaceful, happy and prosperous society of God-fearing persons, continuing to learn and be reminded of God’s delightful ways to live their lives in full harmony with them.