Tag Archives: Book of Proverbs

September 12, 2018

Sweetness and Strength

By Daniel M. Klem

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste: -Proverbs 24:13, KJV

I can not help but wonder if Solomon was thinking of his father’s friend Jonathan, when Saul was king and made the vow that no one in the army would eat until the Philistines were defeated lest that person be cursed. But Jonathan had not heard this vow and, being hungry after he and his armor bearer had just spent the day beating a garrison of Philistines, ate some honey. (1 Samuel 14)

Jonathan (and Solomon) could see how utterly foolish it was to not eat when doing something so physically challenging. The army even challenged King Saul on this when Saul would not get an answer from God about continuing the fight and then found out it was because of this little bit of honey.

That shows what the next verse means:

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
Proverbs 24:14, KJV

Saul had not used wisdom in his decisions, and he was willing to kill his son over his foolishness.

Jonathan, however, was spared, for he had sought to know God’s wisdom throughout the day and be strengthened.

What about you?

Do you desire the sweetness of God’s wisdom? Do seek His revitalizing wisdom throughout the day?

Or, like Saul, do you try to get through the day on your own, rarely if ever seeking God’s wisdom?

Do you get frustrated by minor problems, especially by others and then lashing out?

Or do you take time throughout the day to keep the Lord involved in your decisions?

It only takes a moment to stop and seek His help. It is not weakness. It is finding the sweetness in God’s strength.

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September 9, 2018

Church is not about you.

By Daniel M. Klem

Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. –Proverbs 24:27, KJV

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. –Proverbs 24:27, ESV

Are you a member of your church?

Do you even attend a church?

If you do not have a legitimate physical reason for not going, why? (Disabilities or a work schedule can be good reasons.)

Not liking the decorations or the music are not good reasons (unless, maybe, because the music is theologically horrible! That usually happens in churches teaching the same fluff.)

If you claim that you are not being fed, there is good reason to believe that – sorry to be the bearer of bad news – you are the problem.

If you find yourself saying things like “The message just doesn’t resonate with me” (unless it is for the reason mentioned earlier) or “I have not found something to plug in to,” this is not good enough.

Perhaps the issue is that you keep looking for all of your needs to be met. That is not the purpose of Church.

Church is not all about you.

Maybe you need to start meeting the needs of others, start a Bible study (and, based on your approach thus far, ask a pastor, elder, or someone who is spiritually mature to help), or start asking your pastor questions about the lessons and messages.

If you refuse to actively work the ground of your faith, you may never “feel it” in any church – at least not for long. The most surefire way to “feel it” is to build up the church, to make those around you better by pointing them to Christ.

Then you will find that you have also been building up your house for worship.

Church is not about you. It is about letting Christ use you for His Church, to work the field of souls and build up His Temple of saints.

1 Comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Instruction, Relationships, Work

September 8, 2018

Hearing Correction

By Daniel M. Klem

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. –Proverbs 23:9, KJV

Have you known that person who knows everything?

Even when it is obvious there is a lacking in knowledge?

Perhaps she has been friends with a lot of famous people.

Maybe he knows all about everyone around.

It could be they have done everything and been everywhere.

And then you pull them aside and quietly point out a small error in their story or correct a “fact” they shared.

But there is always an excuse or a way to brush off what you’ve said.

You may even find you have a new enemy (or at least less of a friend).

Or maybe you are that person.

Can you take simple correction? Can you admit you may be wrong? Or do you always have an excuse or ignore those who disagree?

Be wise.

Do not stretch the truth or make up facts. And if someone corrects you, listen and, if needed, admit you’re wrong and change.

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September 4, 2018

The True Hope for the Future

By Daniel M. Klem

For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18, KJV

Surely there is a future [and a reward], And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.
Proverbs 23:18 AMP

One of the most misappropriated verses in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11,

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

The reason thos verse is so misapplied to lives is that many people tend to think God will never let them suffer but only prosper.

The full context of this verse is that God is sending Israel into exile as punishment for breaking His covenant! He orchestrated suffering!

But it was for a future glory!

Using the two different translations today was for showing how rich today’s verse is.

We need the reminder that there is a tomorrow. Today’s struggles are temporary, because the future is coming.

That future may have problems. In fact, God also told us that a great time of suffering will happen before the Lord’s return.

But the temporal future has an end, when Jesus returns!

Just as Jeremiah reminded us, there will be suffering, but God has a plan! Yes, things will get bad, but remember that He holds the future. This gives us hope!

Trust in Jesus, and the future holds our reward of eternal friendship and peace.

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September 3, 2018

No Reason for Envy

By Anthony Baker
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. – Proverbs 23:17

Testimonies

I love to hear stories of how God has changed people’s lives. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thrills to hear how the Lord can take a dreadful, hell-bound sinner and turn him into a saint in all respects.

But sometimes testimonies can turn into a glorification of past sin. Sometimes a well-meaning story of God’s grace can make the average person wish they’d taken a chance at being bad.

Like,

“I once was a drug dealer and had everything money could buy. I woke up with champagne and girls, drove fast all day, and then partied all night until I passed out in the arms of another supermodel. Then Jesus saved me.”

Sorta makes becoming a believer a little anti-climactic, doesn’t it?

The Truth

What we need more of is the truth – not just the truth about the consequences of sin, but the literal joys of following Christ and honoring the Father.

So often we are bombarded by images of those who are doing everything the Bible condemns and having fun while they’re doing it. All of us want to have fun and enjoy life, don’t we? Therefore, these images tend to make a lot of us envious.

But if we had more stories of the joy, peace, and awestruck wonder that accompanies the one who walks in the fear of the Lord, the fleeting pleasures of sin wouldn’t even be worth talking about.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in contentment, Fear of the Lord, Temptation

September 2, 2018

Knowledge Grows In Community

By Daniel M. Klem

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. -Proverbs 23:12, KJV

People wonder why our Western culture is slipping deeper into chaos and hatred.

The short answer is that we largely have given up on listening to instruction and seeking knowledge. We have promoted an individualistic approach to life, that we are each special and can make our own truth. If we just look I side ourselves, they say, we can find real truth.

It has even infiltrated the Church.

In truth, God’s Word tells us that we are all sinners in need of repentance (changing our way of living and thinking), and we need a Savior to help us … according to His standard, not our own.

If you do not have knowledge of the Savior, seek out a friend (like a pastor or another devout Christian) who can show you Christ.

If you do not follow the instructions laid out in the Bible for godly living, you need to repent.

If you are unsure of what the instructions mean – or even what they are – start by going to church. We learn to listen to others without injecting our own truth and to interact with others meaningfully.

In fact, go to church. Knowledge grows in community. And God is all about community.

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September 1, 2018

Strange People Lead to Deep Pits

By Daniel M. Klem

The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: he that is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein. -Proverbs 22:14 KJV

This will be slightly longer today, and dark.

A strange woman can be an adulterous, a prostitute, or simply a deceitful woman. I also think God will let sinful people, male and female, to fall into “strange people” – Male and female.

The most common rebuttal to this verse is “God doesn’t abhor (hate) people!”

Paul gave a rebuttal to this rebuttal:

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Romans 1:21‭-‬32, KJV

If you choose to hate God (go against His Word) by following strange teachings, He will let you follow them into the deep pit you walk into.

Trust in God. Believe His Word and follow His statutes and thus be saved from the pit.

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Warnings

August 29, 2018

I’ve Become My Dad

By Daniel M. Klem

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. –Proverbs 22:6, KJV

Too many people understand this verse to be saying, “If you raise your child a certain way, he (or she) will follow that same path forever.”

First, we must remember that proverbs typically are generalized sayings, not prescriptive rules that are always 100% true.

This leads to the second point, that the truth in this passage is more subtle but still believed by most people today.

Maybe you have heard someone (including yourself!) say “I became my mom (or dad)!” Allthis means is that we find ourselves doing what our parents did, sometimes saying when we were younger “I’m never gonna do that!”

Thankfully, though my parents were far from perfect, I can take some pride in saying “I’ve become my dad.” Sometimes it is from doing some mannerism the same way he did. Many times I have stumbled across the wisdom of why he did certain things because I have to do them more regularly.

More often than not, this is what the verse is taking about, passing life’s wisdom on to the next generation.

Are we exactly like our parents in every way?

No. But we learn from them how we might live, which affects what we believe and how we act.

Sadly, it does not mean if we raise children to be Christains they will remain so. But I do have friends who have left the church, but they believe that Christian morality is good.

In this sense, they have “not depart[ed] from it.”

Remember, we are not responsible for the salvation of others, merely for guiding them to truth and godly living.

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in advice, Parenting

August 26, 2018

Please Enjoy the Hymns (Don’t Move Landmarks!)

By Daniel M. Klem

Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set. -Proverbs 22:28, KJV

I am fairly certain I fall under the Evangelical Christian label, so there may be some who will try to change that label based on what I have to say today.

Based on this verse, do not neglect tradition!

“Wait,” you may say, “you sound like a high-liturgy (i.e. Lutheran or Presbyterian) Christian or even Roman Catholic.”

Well, I reply, there is nothing inherently wrong with tradition. As a product of the Reformation, I do believe in Sola Scriptura, Scripture Alone.

With this, what I mean is that traditions that do not contradict Scripture nor distract people from Christ are to be honored.

Besides, many creeds and theological truths were cemented in Church history. They have become ingrained in our traditions. They are snippets of truth that have been hashed out by our spiritual predecessors. To ignore and forget them …

… well, look at the state of the Church today. There is widespread theological confusion and ecclesiastical animosity.

Translation: we cannot agree about God and the Bible, and we distrust those we should call brothers and sisters in Christ.

Because we “remove the ancient landmarks” the Church fathers set.

This does not mean blind faith in old teachings. Study and think through why we believe these teachings. (i.e. The canon of Scripture, the Trinity, Heaven and Hell, etc.)

To ignore what has historically come before leads to what we see today and failing to live as one as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:22-23).

Also, please enjoy more of the old hymns! They are often so rich in truth!

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August 25, 2018

Ransomed and Redeemed

By Daniel M. Klem

The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright. -Proverbs 21:18 KJV

I see two ways the wicked can be a ransom for the righteous and the transgressor for the upright.

First, the fulfillment of “you reap what you sow.”

Think of Haman from the book of Esther, who hoped to hang Mordecai, but was instead hung on the very gallows he had built.

Or the men who tried to trap Daniel and were themselves thrown into his pit of lions to be devoured.

In other words, if you plan evil against someone, you may very well find yourself suffering that fate.

Secondly, the ransom is not the payment but the prize.

Think of the kidnapped child. The “ransomed child” is paid for and redeemed.

(You probably see where this is going …)

Jesus Christ is the only truly righteous and upright One, and He sacrificed Himself for our ransom. Praise be to God that we wicked transgressors are the ransomed of Christ.

Likewise, we should go out and be willing to sacrifice everything to bring others to the knowledge of our Great Redeemer.

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