Proverbs 13: More proverbs.

July 16, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 13 Background: Proverbs 11-12. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 13 Proverbs: Chapter 13 continues in like fashion of the previous few chapters, laying out wisdom in proverbs of couplets. Here we find some themes that are beginning to reoccur throughout the proverbs. These themes include listening to a father’s wisdom,…

Proverbs 11-12: The righteous and the unrighteous.

July 9, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 11-12. Background: Proverbs 10. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 11 Proverbs of the righteous and unrighteous: As we move into the bulk of the proverbs of Solomon, it will become difficult to see an overview of a full chapter as each couplet can be autonomous, though many of them are…

Proverbs 10: Character comparisons.

July 2, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 10. Background: Proverbs 8-9. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 10 Wisdom versus folly: Chapter 10 begins a collection of various proverbs that are typically short in nature (2-6 lines) but great in implication and teaching. This chapter seems to focus on three groups, each the antagonist of the other, showing the…

Proverbs 8-9: The blessing of wisdom.

June 25, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 8-9. Background: Proverbs 7. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 8 The blessing of wisdom: Here in chapter eight we find wisdom calling once again, just as she did at the opening of the book (see Proverbs 1:20-33). Wisdom seeks to be found, seeks to be sought. She calls to the…

Proverbs 7: Beware of the adulteress.

June 18, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 7. Background: Proverbs 5-6. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 7 The adulteress: Once again, Solomon returns to warning his sons about the adulteress who ensnares the foolish in her seduction. This is a very prevalent topic throughout the first proverbs and it seems to be near to the authors heart,…

Proverbs 5-6: Adultery and practical wisdom.

June 11, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 5-6. Background: Proverbs 4. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 5 Warning against adultery: It is very interesting that one of Solomon’s main concerns, at least at the beginning of this book, is to warn his sons against adultery. Perhaps he had learned from his father, as it was an affair…

Proverbs 4: A father’s plea.

June 4, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 4. Background: Proverbs 2-3. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 4 A father’s wisdom: Solomon reveals the purpose of his instruction in this chapter, emphasizing the importance of gaining wisdom and insight to his sons, just as his father and mother had taught him as a child. It is interesting to…

Proverbs 2-3: The blessing of wisdom.

May 28, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 2-3. Background: Proverbs 1. Concepts and Connections. Chapter 2 The value of wisdom: After introducing wisdom in the first chapter, the book continues by describing the value of wisdom here. Before her value is revealed, however, notice the insistence on the need for seeking and searching for wisdom. Wisdom does…

Proverbs 1: The call for wisdom.

May 21, 2015. Daily Reading: Proverbs 1. Background: The book of Proverbs is a “collection of collections” harboring the wisdom attributed to King Solomon, whose wisdom came directly from God (see I Kings 3). A consistent theme throughout the book is “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge/wisdom,” as it takes this…

When worship and prayer are abominations.

November 18, 2014. As I read through the wisdom literature in the Old Testament, there is a concept that keeps coming up that is a bit concerning me when I read it. This concept is not one that we usually talk about, nor is it one that would probably be acceptable to teach in larger…

4 Introductory lessons on wisdom from Proverbs.

November 5, 2014. I think I have decided that I want to write a book on the concepts laid out in the book of Proverbs. Of course, I say this about a lot of biblical topics and I think this is probably the five or six book that I have planned to write without follow…

Is drinking a sin?

October 31, 2014. When it comes to issues that drive huge wedges between Christians, the discussion over alcohol and whether or not it is sinful for a Christian to drink in moderation is probably one of the biggest wedges you can find. Some will say that any form of alcohol is bad in consumption while others…