Proverb of the day - 3/27/2011

Today's proverb is Proverbs 27. It has a lot to say about close friends, lending (surety), keeping a good name, and shrewd management of your possessions. It's 27 verses long and takes about a minute and a half to read (if you read slowly enough to try to understand it).

Proverbs that stuck out to me today (and this will change every time you read it, based mostly on the context of what's going on in your life at the time, and sometimes on the Spirit's leading):

Proverbs 27:5

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love."

This one jumped out at me because it contrasts "open rebuke" and "hidden love". Open means obvious. Hidden means, well, hidden. The two are natural opposites. Rebuke and love are not necessarily opposites, however. In fact, there are many proverbs relating to this question. A wise man should be able to accept an honest rebuke and learn from it. Defensiveness is the territory of fools. It is saying that if you openly love someone, you will openly rebuke them. This is better than hiding your love from them or for them. Hidden rebukes are for hidden love. Open rebukes are for open love. True love (between spouses, friends, significant others, etc.) should be meted out with honesty. If you can't be honest about a person's shortcomings, tell them what they are doing that is wrecking their lives or the lives of others, then your love for that person may not be as honest as you think. It is no coincidence that married couples get in the worst arguments. Brutal, blatant, open honesty is a natural attribute of love.

Cristophany in Exodus 14 and 24

I wanted to talk a little bit about Christophanies today. If you are totally ignorant of what a Christophany is, you can read this sickeningly basic primer. It is an appearance of Jesus Christ (or The Lord) on earth outside of the bounds of His historical physical life (in the Old Testament). Note that this does not include any appearances after His resurrection. He was raised bodily, not just in spirit.

Note that not all scholars agree that these appearances are the pre-incarnate Christ, but many do, and I tend agree with them. Many Christophanies are denoted by the use of the term "the Angel of the Lord" (malach elohim in Hebrew) to portray Christ, while at other times the term “an angel of the Lord” is used to portray angels or other beings. The word Malach in Hebrew, although translated into English as “angel”, actually means “messenger”. The title itself means "Messenger of God". That could, quite honestly, refer to a lot of things. Thus you do not necessarily get that these appearances are Christ simply from the title given Him. 

The most important element in recognizing a Christophany for what it is (seeing that the text is referring to Christ and not an angel or other being) is to look at the text surrounding the appearance, the context. Never read just one Bible verse. If you do, you can come up with all sorts of weird stuff (much like journalists twisting the words of the people they interview by taking them completely out of context). When the text is talking about the pre-incarnate Christ, the being (malach) referred to is attributed things which we know from elsewhere in scripture only apply to God. Following are some examples of this (this list is by no means exhaustive):

Proverb of the day - 3/23/2011

Today's Proverb is Proverbs 23. This chapter has a lot to do with discipline, gluttony and alcohol. It promotes discipline, shuns gluttony (of food or riches or any other object) and condemns drunkenness. As to gluttony, in verse 2 it goes so far as to suggest cutting your own throat rather than coveting a rich man's food or possessions. Who knew that was in the Bible? As to alcohol, the Bible nowhere condemns drinking alcohol, no matter what you have heard. Jesus drank wine (Luke 7:33-34). God commanded the Israelites to drink at their feasts and ceremonies. The Bible does not condemn drinking, but it does condemn becoming drunk and gives many practical reasons why.  Here are some verses that stood out to me (quoted from the New American Standard Bible, NASB):

23:4-5:

"Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, Cease from your consideration of it. When you set your eyes on it, it is gone. For wealth certainly makes itself wings like an eagle that flies towards heaven."

What this is saying is that you shouldn't kill yourself to get rich. After Pro 23:1-3 which come before it, which is a warning against coveting or desiring the deceitfulness of money and things, this is very practical advice. Notice that it does not say "Do not work to gain wealth" or even "Do not work hard to gain wealth". Hard work is commanded and expected in the Bible (Pro 6:6-8, etc.). But the reasons have to do with common sense and wisdom, not with hoarding. You may have to weary yourself to get out of certain dire financial situations, such as to get out of debt, or to save for a house, but these things are not "to gain wealth". More than your behavior, this proverb warns against the intent. The Bible nowhere condemns the wealthy, but it condemns those who are selfish with what they have, and those who have made money or things into an idol.

Proverb of the day - 3/21/2011

Today is March 21. I read Proverbs 21 this morning before work and several verses stood out to me. I will list them below and then maybe expound on a couple of them, but at the very least, here is a sampling of what you will find in this book. These quotations are taken from the New International Version (a particular English translation of the Bible).



21:5 - "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."
  This one stood out to me because lately I have been on a quest to free myself from the bonds of idleness. There are a lot of things I want to do with my time but I never do them. Writing this blog is one of those things. Also, I am going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University right now. It's all about hard work to get to where you want to be. I'm starting to get the point. While my family is not poverty stricken at the moment, a few diligent plans here and there would definitely be a huge pick me up for us.


21:8 - "The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright."
  This one you could easily pass over because of the archaic wording, but it is communicating some very important truths. This verse tells you straight up how to tell if you are being conned. It says that there is a connection between a person's behavior ("way") and their intentions. Intentions we cannot see, but behaviors we can. This is common sense in a way. You don't hire someone who will not look you in the eyes, or who has a shifty or devious look about them. They are connected to guilt in some way by this verse. Guilt for possibly ripping off previous employers or (in my neck of the woods) not being legal to work in the United States. When people become defensive of various things, there is generally guilt involved. However, good standing in the community, a kind of objective "uprightness" is what screams of an innocent and worthy character. An upright business man would not hire a shifty worker, much like a crook would not solicit an upright neighbor to join him on a bank heist, for fear of being turned in. Upright and innocent are irrevocably connected, as are deviousness and guilt.