Proverbs Pt. 2

We will look at a few more proverbs. Remember what we said about the Book of Proverbs? The main purpose is to teach wisdom to God’s people. Proverbs are short clever explanations, which are easy to remember. They contain truisms. These are things which are typically true however, not always. They deal with life, principles, good judgment, and perception. They often draw distinctions between a wise man and a foolish man with parable type examples.


                                                        Proverbs 1:17
                                The bird see a trap and goes the other way,
                                A greedy man sets a trap, then gets caught
                                in it himself.
In other words, the deeds that go along with being greedy are actually self-destructive.

                                                       Proverbs 17:12
                                Trying to rob a mama bear of her cubs is safer
                                than confronting a fool caught in his own folly.
In other words, pointing out a stupid mistake to someone is not a very good idea.

                                                        Proverbs 24:16
                                A Godly man may trip 7 times, but he always gets up.
                                Just one trip-up and the ungodly man is down and out.
In other words, When God is on our side, we see obstacles as opportunities and brush ourselves off and try again, but the person that doesn't know God, gets totally discouraged after one failure and gives up.

                                                        Proverbs 26:17
                                Yanking a dog's ears is as foolish as interfering 
                                in someone else's argument.  
In other words, When we get in the middle of two people arguing, we could be the one that ends up getting "bit." The Bible does say "Blessed are the peace makers", but it does not say blessed are the peace keepers. 

Next time we will be reading another book written by King Solomon called "Ecclesiastes".

Proverbs

The book of Proverbs (known as the proverbs of Solomon) was in fact written by Solomon, However, some of the proverbs that have been collected by Solomon are included in the book. In his lifetime, Solomon wrote 3,000 proverbs and 1000 songs.

 Proverbs is different from other books of the Bible because it is filled with two or three line individual statements, not organized by topic. They teach wisdom through short points. They are not Biblical promises, but rather principals to guide us in our relationship with God and others. The word wisdom shows up 114 times in 31 chapters. The wise man is contrasted with the fool throughout the book.

 So what is wisdom? Or who is the wise person? Wisdom is seeing the world and all that goes on, as God sees it and basing our reactions to any situation from God's perspective. So a wise person is one who knows God, sees the world through His eyes, and acts accordingly.

 Provers 1:2 tells us "The purpose of proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings. And verse 3 says, Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair.

  We can't go through every proverb, so I will pick out 6 proverbs that I think you will learn from and enjoy the pictures. The first one is Proverbs 6:6-7.

       Take a lesson from the ants and be wise. Even though they have no
       leader,  still they work all summer to gather food for the winter.

 In other words, even when no one is in charge. Don't be lazy.... be smart.

 And here is another one. Proverbs 11:22

       A woman who is beautiful but lacks good sense is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.

 In other words, beauty may be on the outside..... but inner beauty is what God sees.

There are 31 one chapters in proverbs, just like days in the month. Some people read a chapter a day for a month because getting God's word past our brains and into our hearts takes repetition and diligence.

 Next time we will see the wisdom in 4 more proverbs.

Psalms 98, 114 and 139

There are many example of different types of Psalms. Here are three.

Psalm 114:
A Psalm of remembrance. It is good for us to remember the amazing things that God has done in the past. This Psalm depicts the time God rescued the Israelites by parting the Red Sea. God wants us to remember these biblical stories, but also to remember the times God has been there for us. Stop right now and think of when God protected you, comforted you and made a way for you. It is good to just stop and remember these things because it grows our faith and it draws us nearer to the Provider, Comforter and Protector.

                                                        Psalm 114:1-4
          When the Israelites escaped from Egypt, when the family of Jacob left that 
          foreign land, the land of Judah became God's sanctuary, and Israel His kingdom.
         The Red Sea saw them coming and hurried out of their way! The water of the
         Jordan River turned away. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like sheep.


Psalm 98:
A Psalm of praise. Did you ever hear the birds singing? did you ever thing that their song is a song of praise to God? If the little birdies can sing praises to the Lord, what should prevent us from doing the same. Psalm 22 says that "God inhabits the praises of His people". Which means God lives in our praise! If you want to be closer to God.... praise Him.... sing to Him. He loves it!

                                                       Psalm 98:4-8
          Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music.
          Make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing.
          With trumpets and the blast of a ram's horn, Shout for joy to the Lord, the King.
          Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all that live in it.

Psalm 139:
A Psalm of thanksgiving. Nothing in this life is guaranteed. God is the provider of everything, including our next breath. God was there at the beginning. (While we were still in our mom's tummy) He created us with a purpose. He knows everything about us... and He STILL loves us! There is so much to thank God for. We can use the thanksgiving Psalms to show our gratiude for His love, His provision, His protection etc....

                                                       Psalm 139:13-18
                        You made all the delicate , inner parts of my body and 
                        knit me together in my mother's womb.
                        Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
                        Your workmanship is marvelous. How well I know it.
                        You watched me as I was being formed in seclusion,
                        as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
                        You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life
                        was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid
                        out before a single day had passed.
 

       

The book of Psalms

We can't illustrate every Psalm, so we are going to pick a few to draw and give an overview of the whole book by asking questions, and answering them.

 (1)Who wrote the Book of Psalms?
 The Book of Psalms was written by Moses, King David, Heman, Ethan, King Solomon, Asaph and the son's of Korah. So a lot of people were involved. Although King David wrote almost half of the Psalms.... and there are a few that we don't know who wrote them. What is nice is that, a lot of the Psalms give the author and a brief story of what was happening, and the significance of each one.

(2) How many years did it take to write the Book of Psalms?
 Believe it or not, Psalms was written over a span of nearly1000 years! From 1440 B.C. (during the time of Moses) to 586 B.C. The Psalms cover most of Israels history. (While they were in Egypt, when they escaped into the wilderness, and during the reign of their judges and kings, until the time of their captivity by the Babylonians.

(3) What is the purpose of the Book of Psalms?
 In the New testament, Psalms is referred to many times. It was and is considered a book of wisdom, teaching about God and getting to know God personally. It was actually written in song form. So, many of the Psalms read like poems, with stanzas, alliteration and rhyming. However, since they were translated from Jewish, they lost some of their rhythm.

(4) How are the Psalms applicable to me?
 The Book of Psalms are so full of prayers for many situations. We can read the Psalms from our own perspective and pray them back to God. (By the way, He loves when we pray His words back to Him) The Psalms express a wide range of emotions, from Joy, hope, trust, gratitude and praise, to despair, fear, and sorrow. We can use the Psalms to pray, worship, confess and praise God.

So as we mentioned in question/answer #3, Psalms teach us. What are some of the things that we
can learn from the Book of Psalms.
(A) It's OK to express how we feel to God, whether positive or negative.
(B) God cares for each of us. The Psalms reinforce our understanding of His love.
(C) The Psalms teach us that serving God and doing right is worth it.
(D) Some Psalms like Psalm 22 point to the coming of Jesus. So we can trust them.
(E) We learn what God desires from us in prayer and worship.

                                               PSALM 23
                                          a Psalm of David

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

Even tho I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me.
Your rod and staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. .

Job...The Finale! (Job 38-42)

 For the past 33 chapters, Job and his "friends" have been going back and forth. The friends accusing Job of hidden sin and Job defending himself. Also, between the speeches,  Job would cry out to God, questioning Him and charging God with not being fair.

 In chapter 38, God finally speaks in a whirlwind. "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself and answer some questions I have for you. Where were you when I created the earth? Who determined it's size and laid the foundation? Who keeps the waters inside the ocean wall and who hung each star in the sky?"
 God continued to go through each aspect of nature, finishing up with all the animals, pointing out with His questions, that He is the creator and sustainer of all things. Everything was created by Him and for Him. (Col. 1:16) By the beginning of chapter 40, God had finished with the questions for Job.

  Job felt very humbled. All of creation was a witness to God's power and glory. Who was he to question God or advise Him? "I take back everything I said." Job said. "I was taking about things I knew nothing about. I am so sorry and I will sit here in these ashes to show you how sorry I am." Job
realized that his human brain could not comprehend the thoughts of God.  God's thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways above our ways. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

 We should remember this when we ask God, "Why?" The better question should be "What?" What are you trying to teach me God? Or what is in my future that I need this struggle to strengthen my faith for?  Or what do I need to do to get closer to you God? The bible says there are at least five reasons  we face trials in our lives. {1} Suffering sometimes comes as a result of sin.(Acts 5:1-11)  {2}Sometimes suffering is God discipling or correcting us. (Hebrews 12:7-13) {3}Suffering may be a test of our faith or faithfulness. (James 1:1-19){4} Suffering is sometimes a result of following Jesus. (Phil 3:10) {5} Suffering may just be the result of living in a fallen world. (Job:1-2)

After Job responded to God with humility and repentance, God turned to Job's friends and said, "I am angry with you because you have not spoken truthfully about me to Job. Now go make a sacrifice to me and ask for forgiveness." Then God turned back to Job, "While your friends are offering their sacrifice to me, pray for them." So the friends offered a sacrifice and Job prayed for them. God accepted their sacrifice and Job's prayer for them Then God blessed Job with twice as much as he had before and three more daughters and seven more sons, and Job lived another 140 years.

Why did God ask Job to pray for his friends, because when we take the focus off ourselves and place it on our all-powerful God and other people, we pay less attention to our problems. If we are so focused on what is causing the pain, we cannot give God the honor that He deserves. It is not easy, but try it. While you are in the middle of a struggle, praise God and pray for someone else. You will be blown away at how God's presence brings you peace. 

Job's Friends Just Keep on Talking and Talking (Job 4-37)

 Words are powerful. They can build people up or they can tear people down. "Life and death are in the power of the tongue." (Proverbs 18:21). In this next section of the Book of Job. Our poor friend Job, who has already suffered great loss and is in the middle of an excruciatingly painful health issue, is now subjected to speech after speech from his so-called friends. You have to give them credit though. They did keep their mouths shut for the first seven days, which is exactly what Job needed at the time, someone to share in his grief.

When a friend or family member is hurting, sometimes the best thing we can do is put our arm around them and not say a word. There are situations that no words could ever make better. But knowing that someone cares enough to be there in a hard time is comforting.

Job's friends took turns sharing their thoughts on life, God, and Job's situation. But they only made Job feel worse. Paraphrasing Bildad, he told Job that his children probably deserved what happened to them. And things will get even worse, so Job better talk to God and tell Him that he promises to do things differently if He will heal him.

  God is not a deal maker. We can't tell God, "I will listen to my parents if you help me pass this test." Or any other difficult things that pop up in our lives. God ALWAYS does the right thing, and as followers of Jesus, we should do the right thing, not because we want some favor from God, but because we love Jesus and it's the right thing to do.

Job answers Bildad. "What you say is not true, and even if it was, who am I to bargain with God. Everything was created by God and for God (Col 1:16).... including me." Then Job cried out to God again.
 When Job stopped to catch his breath, Zophar chimed in. "Just because you say you are righteous, doesn't make it so, Job. You talk a good game, but you are not so innocent or this would have never happened. I think it is time for you to repent and quit talking about how you didn't do anything to deserve this."
  Job responded to Zophar. "You act all high and mighty, but you are no better than I am. If your logic is true, this could have easily happened to you. My fate could be your fate!" Then Job cried out to God again pleading God to free him from his agony.

The three men continue to attack Job's character for the next 17 chapters, and Job continues to defend his character for the next 17 chapters. Finally in chapter 32 another man shows up. He had been there listening all the while. His name is Elihu. He scolds Job's friends for putting God in a box and trying to explain the ways of our Heavenly Father. Then he tells Job that the more he defends himself, the more arrogant he sounds. Elihu tells  Job.... and his friends, "Cry out to God. Not with explanations or justifications, but praise God for who He is. Don't try to make deals with God, but trust Him. God cares. God is understanding. God is just. And God is all powerful." Job and his friends grew very quiet and pondered what Elihu said. Then in chapter 38, the Lord challenges Job.

Elihu's advice for Job and his friends is great advice for us. Simply put:  Praise God, pray, and trust God because He loves us, He is good and all- powerful. We will wrap up the Book of Job next time with God's challenge, Job's response and how it all works out.

Job and Eliphaz finally speak. (Job 3-6)

 After seven days of sitting with their friend, Job (who was struck with a terrible case of boils after he had lost all his children and wealth), they were beginning to wonder if they should break the silence. However Job was the first one to speak. He began letting out all his frustrations. He cursed the day he was born. He wished he had never even been conceived. He said he would have been better off if he had died as he was being born than to live through what had had gone through and now is dealing with.

  Sometimes when we are in a lot of pain, our memories get clouded. It seemed that Job had forgotten all the good years he had. He forgot about all the people that loved him and all the people he loved. We can be so wrapped up in the pain that we forget too. But hang in there. You will get through it. Remember that it hasn't always been this bad and that it probably wont't always be.

 Job was just letting off some steam, but one of his friends, Eliphaz, thought it was the perfect opportunity for him to chime in. He stood up and began to tell Job that he had heard God whisper to him, and that he had a special vision one night while everyone was asleep. Be very careful if anyone tells you that God has told enlightened them about your direction in life. Run everything you hear through the scriptures and pray about it. Sometimes people think they are helping you in this way, but God doesn't like when they use His name to get across their own advice.
 Eliphaz continued to tell Job that on the outside Job seemed like a good man. He would help people, comfort them and point them to God. But he added that God sees all, and He knows when their is secret since that needs punishing. Eliphaz said he knew how God worked and Job is being punished.
 So his advice for Job was to go before God. Tell Him that the punishment was just and that now he repents. Then God will begin to ease his pain.

  Eliphaz had a skewed idea of God. He put God in a box and made God think the way we do. But guess what? God's thoughts are above our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)  3-6)Our brains cannot even think the things that God does. That is why He asks us to trust Him.... in everything. Eliphaz was right in one thing. We should go before God and repent when we sin. Not so that God will make everything all better, but so that our relationship with him will be restored. 

 Now it was Job's turn to respond to Eliphaz. "You think you know God, but you don't. He doesn't work that way. And even if He did punish us like you say.... it still does not make sense, because, you can believe me or not, God knows the truth, I haven't committed and sin that is even close to what this kind of punishment would warrant." Job continued. "So if you were trying to help, or make me feel better.... you didn't. You made me feel better by just sitting with me."
 Then Job cried out in anguish to God again. He said that he hated his life. He had nothing to live for and that the pain was stealing and hope of joy in his life. He asked God why doesn't he just take his life instead of letting him go through this.

 We can feel Job's pain. And now to top it all off. The friend that had sat quietly with him and comforted him for the last week, has said some things that make Job feel even worse. We have to choose our words carefully when one of our friend is going through a loss or something painful. Sometimes it is better to keep quiet on purpose, than to say something hurtful by accident.

More Pain and Suffering for Job (Job 2)

 Once again the angels came to present themselves before the LORD..... and once again Satan was there as well. Satan told God that he was continuing to move across the earth, checking things out.
  "Well, you must have seen that Job, the man you tested, has still not sinned, even though I allowed you to do some terrible things to his property and his family." God said.
  "Of course he didn't curse you or sin against you!" Satan retorted. "You have protected him from harm. A man would gladly trade everything he has as long as he is safe and in good health." Satan continued, "If you let me inflict his body with some disease or malady..... then I'm sure he will curse you and turn his back on you!"
  "Job is upright and blameless. He fears God and shuns evil. I will let you do what you have said, however, do not kill him." God responded.
 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from his toes to the top of his head. Job was in such intense pain that he went and sat on the ashes at a garbage dump. He found something and began scraping his skin because the boils were so itchy.

 How would you respond if you were Job? Of course we all feel like there are times when everything seems to be hitting us all at once. In Job's case, it really was! There are many choices we can make when facing the difficulties of life. 1. We can feel sorry for ourselves. 2. We can get angry at the situation, people around us, or God. 3. We can throw our hands up in the air and give up. 4. We can trust God (Proverbs 30:5), know that He loves us (1 John 3:1), and that He would never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

Job chose to trust God. He knew that God loved him and that God would not leave him. Job's wife on the other hand chose differently. We cannot be too hard on Job's wife though. Remember, she too lost all her possessions and her children.  Now she was watching her husband suffering right in front of her! So I can understand her response to Job's pain when she said to him, "Job! Are you still clinging to your integrity? Enough is enough! Just curse God and die!"
  Job answered his wife,  "My dear wife, you are  foolishly speaking out of anger and fear. Are we supposed to accept all the good things that God gives us, but not accept His decision when He takes things away?" In all his suffering, Job did not sin with his lips.

 Job realized that God does not owe us anything and that every good thing that God gives us is a gift. (James 1:17) 

Three of Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar heard about all that had happened to Job and decided to go as a group to comfort, console, and mourn with their friend. They heard that Job was sitting near the garbage dump and headed toward it. While they were a distance off, they saw a man sitting there, but he was covered by so many boils that they did not even recognize him.  When they finally realized that it was Job, tears filled their eyes. They tore their robes and put ashes on their foreheads. Then they sat down with Job in silence for seven days. Seven days was the customary time of mourning for the dead. (Genesis 50:10) Job's friends joined him in mourning for his children as well as for his circumstances.
  Job's friends had good intentions. They loved their friend.  Their compassionate presence was just what Job needed at the time. We can learn from them. Sometimes a ministry of presence is just what a person needs when they are mourning of suffering. No words, just compassion and care. 
  In the next 35 chapters we will see how Job's friends opened their mouths and messed up the good they had done by initially sitting with Job in his grief.