Pages

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Auschwitz, A reminder of Wisdom

Today's image is very different than what I have been doing (watch it below). Yesterday, January 27th, was the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the prisoners at the Nazi Auschwitz prison camp. Most of the victims were Jewish.

The Proverbs have much to say to us concerning our treatment of the poor/disadvantaged, and concerning our attitude towards the injustices that so often accompany them. It is always a demonstration of "wisdom" to be advocates for those in need.

Proverbs 28 reminds us again of this kind of wisdom. Justice is the result of wisdom, but when foolishness, especially evil foolishness, is left unchecked, the horrors of an Auschwitz are the awful results.

Proverbs 28:3-5; 27 . . .

3 A ruler who oppresses the poor
is like a driving rain that leaves no crops.

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law resist them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.

27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.




Wisdom Project - 28

BH

27 comments:

Unknown said...

Today's post re:Auschwitz has left me speechless; viewing and revisiting these unspeakable horrors numbs the thought process.
I will take verses 5-6 with me, clinging to the pursuit of integrity as opposed to the desire of riches as one seeks the LORD. Isaiah 55:6 - seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near (NASB).

Jim Morrison said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jim Morrison said...

Proverbs 28 reminds me that in our desire to prosper in material wealth that we need to be cautious to not allow the wealth to overcome us. Verse 20 tells us "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished." Obtaining wealth is not wrong but the means by which we are willing to accomplish this wealth may very well be sinful.

A desire for power can be just the same as wealth. By what means are we willing to go to in order to achieve this power? As we see in the video some are willing to do most anything.

Our wealth and power and the use of them needs to be God honoring.

Unknown said...

Verse 26 really stuck out to me the most: "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." Normally this verse would be easy to read over, but with our study of the word "wisdom" and its true meaning, it has brought new life to this verse. "Wisdom" is seeking to please the LORD and seek out His will before my own. It is not just making a good decision here and there, but it a "path" that we choose, hence "...walks in wisdom is kept safe." This verse doesn't mean if I trust the Lord I will never be hurt or harmed, but it does mean God's path will be better and more glorifying to Him, than my ways.

Chris Howard said...

I have to echo what Jeremy has said. Verse 6 has great meaning, as do all of them, but this one a little more so for me. In life we want to make the right choices and often times we want God to just tell us what to do, give us the answer. The better-Then passages do just that. Here we see that it is better to live a poor life with your integrity intact than to life a wealthy life with a poor one. This isn't to imply that we must all live a life of poverty but rather evaluate what you have and how you are using it. Are we glorifying God with our possessions or are we glorifying the possessions. A foolish man/rich man will flaunt his wealth and live a crooked life while a wise man/poor man will glorify God for what they have and use it for His glory. My 2 cents!

Tim K. said...

Proverbs 28
Proverbs seems to have alot to say about what kind of leader (ruler) to be. We are all leaders of some kind and this Proverb tells us to be concerned about righteousness and not others opinions of us or wealth. Be bold and decerning seeking wisdom and kind to the poor seeking righteousness and trusting in the Lord above all else.

Danielle Cummings said...

It weird to think that an event like that actually took place. What could ave been going though those Nazi's minds? God created everyone equally and it breaks my heart to see people be treated differently. I like what Jim said about power being the same as wealth. Its not wrong to be wealthy or powerful. But its how we obtain it/them that can be wrong.

Jilli Bair said...

In this chapter the confidence and bravery of those who follow God made an impression on me. First in 28:1 - the righteous are bold as a lion. And in 28:14 - blessed is the one who fears the Lord always. 28:26 - he who walks in faith will be delivered. Those who choose to follow God and obey Him will be blessed, empowered, and delivered from trouble. This section inspired me to live righteously in fear of a Holy, Almighty God.

-Jillian Fasick

Lisa Griffiths said...

The phrase that caught me the most was the last phrase of the video. "The living pray for death". Its hard for my mind to grasp things like this because I have lived such an easy life. Looking back into history shows how much people really did suffer, and many for the cause of Christ. Am I willing to suffer for that cause. i certainly hope so, but would my heart be in the right position if it were to really happen?

Anonymous said...

Response
6 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless
than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
I love this little verse. It reminds me of what the Lord said in Mat 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? I don’t think that this passage is recommending poverty or equating being poor with righteousness. But it is commenting on the importance of how and why we gain things in this world. I think it is a verse that speaks directly to the issue of gaining wealth as it is related to our personal walk and commitment to Christ.
John Erbentraut

Danyelle Steckiel said...

I love verse 5. If we seek God we understand justice. We come to appreciate and love it because God is just. Also, verse 6 is very meaningful to me. Thinking about the fact that having a blameless walk is more important then any earthly thing that passes away.

Unknown said...

Proverbs 28:6
"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways."
- This is a good reminder that to me that things here on earth or temporary and that I need to not get wrapped up in possessions here and instead focus on my heavenly treasures that will last forever. Realizing that being poor is okay especially if it means that I am an honest hard working person doing his part in ministry for God's glory.

Nate said...

14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
but whoever a hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

This verse stuck out to me for a specific reason. I have had some circumstances lately where I could have deeply questioned God and hardened my heart towards him. This verse is a reminder that that road leads to danger in stead I should trust God and continue to fear Him in all areas of my life.

Sarah said...

I especially liked verse 22, "A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him."
I like this verse because it shows that most people today just want to get rich, or their striving to become rich. The more they strive the worse it becomes. Also they do not realize that money will not completely satisfy their needs, especially if they do not have Christ in their life.

Unknown said...

Proverbs 28:26 was also my favorite. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered." It's just another reminder that I can't do this on my own and I need Him (Thee) every hour of every day.

Unknown said...

verse 26 really stuck out to me, "whoever trusts his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be enriched". Too often i have and do walk in the way that i think is best, and too little do i place my decisions before God for his guidance.

Cody F said...

Jan 28 – Prov 28
Its interesting for me, in my online classes other than Proverbs, I have been talking a lot lately about integrity. I really liked verse 5-6, I found it an interesting thought that it is better for a poor man to have integrity that to be crooked and have riches.

Carrie L. said...

This chapter said a lot about the wicked man and it was sobering to read. I was waiting to read a pleasant proverb but each one had something about the wicked man and the consequences to sin. It was an eye opening chapter.

Renee said...

Proverbs 28:1 "The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

This verse stood out to me mainly because of the phrase “as bold as a lion”. The wicked fear every shadow or possibility because they don’t know and don’t have anything to claim as a foundation. On the other hand, the righteous do not need to fear anything because they know God and stand firm based on their relationship with Him. I find myself often being hesitant and uneasy because I can still cling to that fear, but I know that I can have complete confidence because I am a daughter of the King.

Renee said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ShawnaA said...

while listen to Proverbs 28 two verses seemed to jump out at me. 11 says "a rich man may be wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees though him" sometimes people who concentrate on material things never find true happiness and someone who has true happiness in their meger state can see that they are not happy. We do not to have the world but have the contentment with what God gives and blesses us with that is true happiness. The second verse was 26 "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." This hits home with me this week having a bad time with some financial issues and was feeling overwhelmed with the plate I was trying to carry alone. This verse gave me the smach in the forehead so to speak that I was being a fool and that God is with me and that I do not carry this plate alone and if I walk in Him, He will kept me safe.

Jessica said...

Verse 26 was the one that stuck out to me the most. "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who walks wisely will be delivered." So many times I think I have everything figured out and have it set in my mind the way things should go. I need to rely on God and give that area of my life over to His control

Mandi said...

Proverbs 28:26 stuck out to me while listening to it. it says, "He who trusts in himself is a fool,but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe." I can't do t on my own. I need to be seeking wisdom and not seeking things of this world. If I place everything in God's hands I will be safe.

julee said...

The verse that stuck out to me the most was the first one "the wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are bold as a lion". The wicked know that what they are doing is wrong and deserves punishment; they have a conscience. Even though they know it's wrong though, they persist in doing it and hence are always guilt-ridden. They are constantly trying to run away from the punishment. Whereas the righteous have nothing to fear. They are bold, not slinking around, not sly, not deceptive. They aren't worried that they'll be found out because they have nothing to hide. I know that I find myself doing things or thinking things that I don't want anyone else to know. I worry somewhat about what others think and if they think that what I'm doing is wrong. Instead I need to focus on what the Lord says and obey Him.

Rachel said...

I was struck by the many references to finances within this chapter. I found verse 6 particularly interesting to consider; it brought to mind the passage in Matthew 6 when Jesus preached that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also". It is far more important that we guard our hearts rather than our possessions. Temporal treasures can bring neither satisfaction nor blessing; "better is a poor man who walks in his integrity".

Unknown said...

In todays reading, verses 13-14, 18, 26 have stood out to me and I was able to apply these verses to myself. In the verses 13-14, I am reminded that confessing my sins to God and even the people I have sinned against is very important. God does not honor the ones who conceal them and for a long time I have just kept things to myself and just continued on the wrong path. Another thing I have learned is that when one does confesse, One can have a sense of freedom and a better understanding of God's mercy and grace in my own life. Praise God for that! Verse 18 also furthers this idea by staying that those who walk in integrity will be delivered. That is encouraging to me to know because even in hard times or times when I want to feel down I can just look at this verse and know that God is there and will deliver me in his time. Verse 26 was another verse that had some implications to me. This verse just drives home for me the importance of trusting in God and his wisdom and not myself.

Gabe Vanderstel said...

26 He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.

This verse is very applicable to me as I have been learning the true meaning of trusting in God. I feel that we as christians say that we put our trust in God, but most often trust in our skills, ablilities, or money. The wise man is humble enough to see that he needs God for everything in life.