A Look at Proverbs 10.28

Written by TheRev on March 12th, 2010

Pr 10.28
28 The hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the expectation of the wicked perishes.

Parallelism Examined

28a

28b

hope

expectation

righteous

wickedness

(comes to reality as)

perishes

gladness

(with no gladness)

hope – an expectation in the future. Hope does not reside in the person, hope resides in the object of hope. Hope becomes a motivation in a person based on the “foundation” of hope.

Since “good” is always sourced in God, any expectation of such is also sourced in God.

expectation – or “hope,” a synonym of the above word. Used in Zech 9.17 where he calls God’s people “prisoners of the hope”!

gladness – joy, mirth

The root word pictures glad and joyful with the whole disposition as indicated by its association with the heart (Ex4.14; Ps19.18; 104.15; 105.3), soul (Ps86.4), and eyes (Pr15.30).

Many things bring such gladness, e.g., wine (Ps104.15), ointment and perfume (Pr27.9), a wise son (Pr10.1), a kind word (Pr12.25), meeting a loved one (Ex14.14), God’s law (Ex19.8), and more. The Lord and His salvation are cited most frequently as the reason for joy.

Such gladness is to be shared, Dt12.7!

While fools find joy in folly (Pr15.21), the righteous find everlasting joy (Isa51.11).

Gladness is frequently used for holy days (Num10.10).

perishes – perish, be destroyed, die, withers like a plant!

References to consider:

Pr 24.20
20 For there will be no future for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.

Pr 11.7
7 When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish,
And the hope of strong men perishes.

Pr 15.21
21 Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.

Is 51.11
11 So the ransomed of the Lord will return
And come with joyful shouting to Zion,
And everlasting joy will be on their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
And sorrow and sighing will flee away.

On the “righteous” and the “wicked,” see the previous notes on Pr10.27.

On the future of the wicked . . . 

their wages are deceptive, Pr11.8
their treasures are without value, Pr10.2
their hopes come to “destruction,” Pr10.28
what they dread occurs, Pr10.24
the Lord thwarts their craving, Pr10.3
the Lord allows them to be hungry, Pr13.25
the Lord curses them, Pr3.33
they are ensnared by their evil deeds, Pr5.22
they are humbled before the righteous, Pr14.19
they are punished, Pr10.16
they are overthrown, Pr12.7
they are brought down by calamity, Pr14.32
they experience trouble, Pr11.8, ruin, Pr3.8, disaster, Pr16.4, violence, Pr10.6, premature death, Pr10.27
they perish, Pr11.10, are swept away, Pr10.25, destroyed, Pr14.11, snuffed out, Pr24.20

Sharpening for my life today:

The expectations of the wicked are weighed against their aspiration, sin, and, against God’s justice. Because expectations rest on their foundations, the way of the expectation is the way of the foundation!

Here’s a gem from the Lord that goes to the heart of hope!

Learn carefully, when hope is realized you find relief, strength, confidence, patience, peace. Our hope rests in God’s Word and Work! Pr23.17-19, the righteous have a “latter end” (NASB margin on Pr23.18) while the “wicked” are “cut off.”

Consider carefully, real hope finds its harbor in God, His character, His justice, and most definitely His “loyal-love,” most definitely the heart of hope!

 

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The “Z” Tree

Written by TheRev on March 3rd, 2010
Copyright www.dasyas.com

The "Z" Tree

Here’s a very unusual tree I recently photographed in the Florida Everglades. At firsts glance, this dwarf cypress is a little, maybe a lot, weird! It looks deformed, out of place.

The more I looked at this tree, the more it was causing me to open my eyes, and my heart! The tree has obviously been through a great deal, probably several hurricanes!

It has obviously been broken, damaged severely, even deformed in its life. Yet, even with the hardships it has stood its ground, grown as the Lord provided, and stands today lifting its branches toward the heavens!

Clearly, faithfulness and steadfastness may not be demonstrated in the tallest, sleekest, most well developed (on the outside!), but there’s no question of the faithfulness and steadfastness of one who shows the scars of life and yet stands firm in whatever the Lord has allowed!

The more I thought of this little “Z” tree, the more lessons for my life began to unfold. I often think those scars, hurts, and heartaches don’t really belong. Yet, I know the Lord has allowed them, and, I know He wants to be glorified in my life, even with those things.

My heart was turned to the words of the Apostle Paul who had a “thorn” in his flesh. He even sought the Lord to remove it, but, the Lord said, “No.” Instead of that “fix” that seemed so desirable at first, the Lord promised, in the midst of the “thorn” (or scar, or hurt, or heartache) an even greater glory, His grace would be displayed as sufficient!

For, God is able to take us “Z” trees and demonstrate clearly His grace is sufficient! When the Lord said to the Apostle Paul, . . . , “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness,” Paul responded, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Co 12:9–10)

The “Z” tree had a message for me and maybe it has a message for you too, for the Lord’s grace is truly sufficient to those sustained by what He faithfully provides, even in the storms of life.

 

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A Look at Proverbs 10.27

Written by TheRev on January 23rd, 2010

Pr 10:27
27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
But the years of the wicked will be shortened.

Parallelism Examined

27a

27b

(the years of the righteous)

the years of the wicked

(who practice) the fear of the Lord

(who have not the fear of the Lord)

prolong life (days)

will be shortened (life/days)

Prolong –

Isa38.15: 15 years added to Hezekiah’s life!

Gen30.22-24: Rachel named her son with a request for another son, note NASB margin, “add to me” — Joseph in Hebrew!

Ps71.14: NASB margin, “add upon all Your praise” — pile up “Praise”!

Acts2.41, 47; 5.14; 11.24: God “adds to” the church of Jesus! This is a key to the message of Acts!

Years –

Also used of character, way, or life period

Isa16.14; 21.16: years of a hired man — wearisome, dreadful, wearing down

Isa61.2: year of favor — salvation through the Messiah, cf Lev25.10-11, year of release; Lev25.13, year of Jubilee; Dt15.1; 31.10, year of remission

Shortened – be short, impatient, vexed, grieved, inadequate

e.g. — Num11.23; Isa50.2; 59.1 — “the Lord’s hand is not short,” i.e., inadequate, unable to accomplish what is intended, desired, needed!

References to consider:

Wicked

cf Pr10.2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 20, 24, 25 for past looks at this person. The most basic characteristic of the wicked is a craving for evil, 21.10, which they absorb, 4.17.

Righteous

The righteous/wise path begins with a right relationship and response to the Lord, Pr1.7.

They commit their conduct to the Lord, Pr16.3.

They keep from evil, Pr16.6, 17.

Life belongs to the Wise

cf Pr10.16-17; 11.19; 14.27; 16.22; 19.23; 22.4

Sharpening for my life today:

This gem from Proverbs touches on key truth for a trait to be practiced!

As some our examples above show, e.g., Isaiah and Rachel, it is essential to recognize the Lord as the Author and Sustainer of Life! The wise, fruitful, godly life both has knowledge of the Lord and responds to the Lord in and through their life.

Putting the Lord is His place in our lives is far more than lip service, getting our religious card punched on a regular basis, or jumping through some religious hoop! Check out the theme of Proverbs below and spend some time thinking on this great direction for life. Ask, “Am I skirting issues, paying attention to the particulars of the Lord’s Word and Ways,” actually putting the Lord is His proper place in my life?

If the fear of the Lord is the awesome, reverential, trustful, obedience

 . . . where am I in awe of the Lord?

 . . . where am I in reverence of the Lord?

 . . . where am I in trust of the Lord?

 . . . where am I in obedience to the Lord?

 

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A Look at Proverbs 10.26

Written by TheRev on January 13th, 2010

Pr 10:26
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy one to those who send him.

The Parts:

Parallelism Examined

26a

26b

This is “emblematic parallelism” where a “figure” is set next to a literal situation.

It has been called “cerebral cartooning” (William Mouser)!

One side is the picture, the other side is the caption.

Like vinegar to the teeth

(like) smoke to the eyes

So is the lazy one

to those who send him

Solomon has given us a riddle inviting our comparison.

We are called to “unravel” this picture!

lazy – sluggish, slow, heavy of movement. The root word is likely related to the word for “bone” which in the Old Testament is a picture of strength and health. We could say “lazy-bones” and not be too far off!

Compare:

            vinegar to the teeth –

            smoke to the eyes –

            lazy one to those who send him –

References to consider:

Understanding the Sluggard / Lazy

They make excuses to avoid work, Pr26.13; 22.13
Their way is blocked with thorns, Pr15.19
They will not begin things, Pr6.9-10
They will not finish things, Pr12.27; 19.24; 26.15
They will not face things, Pr22.13; 26.16; 20.4
They must be prodded, Pr6.6-8
They don’t understand time, Pr6.6-11
They learn too late, Pr6.6; 24.30-31

Contrast the Diligent:

Pr 10:4
4 Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Pr 12:24
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.

Pr 13:4
4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made fat.

Pr 21:5
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage,
But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

Sharpening for my life today:

Pr 15:19
19 The way of the lazy is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.

Diligence is not a personality trait! It’s a moral issue! Diligence is a mark of maturity! It’s far better to tell someone “no” than to be unreliable.

If you struggle with diligence, what can you learn here and then do to grow in this area?

(consider: Pay attention to your responsibilities. Choose where to put your efforts. Seek the Lord’s provision of someone to come alongside you and mentor you in this area.)

 

If someone you’re working with struggles in this area, what can you learn here so you can share the Lord’s wisdom with them and help them grow?

(consider: Give them “small jobs” and let the develop success in diligence. Give them more “small jobs” so they build confidence, strength, and habits. Speak honestly with them, Pr27.6.)

 

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A Look at Proverbs 10.25

Written by TheRev on November 30th, 2009

Pr 10.25
25 When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the righteous has an everlasting foundation.

The Parts

Parallelism Examined

25a

25b

(when the whirlwind passes)

when the whirlwind passes

righteous

wicked

an everlasting foundation

no more

whirlwind – often used to describe God’s judgment, Isa29.5-8; Amos1.14; Nah1.3

wicked – (cf Pr10.2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 16, 20, 24) the wicked are typically people who threaten the community, e.g., violate the rights of others, violent, oppressive, greedy, plotting, trapping others, murdering, dishonest. It’s not so much a condition, but an action, a lifestyle.

foundation – used several times for the base of the altar, to found, fix firmly

References to consider:

Ps 5.4
4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.

Hosea 8.7
7 For they sow the wind
And they reap the whirlwind.
The standing grain has no heads;
It yields no grain.
Should it yield, strangers would swallow it up.

Pr 1.27
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.

N.B. — the fool, wicked base all their decisions on “today.” This is not so with the wise, righteous.

Mt 7.24-27
24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Sharpening for my life today:

Our Proverb is a gem for taking a look at daily life. Choices are critical!

What “choices” are you making today that will reap what you do not want in the coming days?

Make sure to look at the sidebar, the Seven Laws of the Harvest, it’s an excellent set of principles and practices for reaping God’s things in life.

 

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