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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Wisdom Project 2/18


The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.


Commentary:


It is not merely the LORD's name that is a strong tower, for His name has no magical properties for wicked men. It is the God by Whose name we know Him that is meant. It is the LORD Himself, with all His glorious attributes and perfections, that is meant. He is the living and true God, Creator of heaven and earth, Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widow. Yes, it is that God. His name is the LORD.

How strong is the tower? Trust ye in the LORD forever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength (Is 26:3-4)! Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew Him as the Almighty God, but He revealed Himself further to Moses (Ex 6:3). Hagar named Him, "Thou God seest me" (Gen 16:13). "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation" (Ps 68:5). No one have ever been lost who put their trust in Him!

From: Let God Be True

Blessings
3 John 8
Bill H.
_________

WISDOM PROJECT: For this month, I will supply links to both the NIV and ESV versions of the chapter each day (Feb. 1 = Proverbs 1, etc.) in the post—both of which contain the audio.

And in the month of February a unique feature for the WP will be Commentaries on selected passages/verses from within the chapter for the day. And for the most part, these comments will be from links in the Online Bible Study Resources feature here on the 3 John 8 blog (scroll down in the column to the right to find the links).

Note to Proverbs class participants: this is the place where you should post your application comments for the Daily Proverbs Reading Assignment.

27 comments:

Unknown said...

13 He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame.
this verse should be on a plague in every counselor office. Sometimes our presupisitions have our clients diagnozed and treated before we even see them. We know what someone's problems is before seeing them. We insult people by not listening to what they say and that is not loving them like Christ.

Unknown said...

Today a couple of verses ring out loud and true for me. Have you ever really experienced a “crushed spirit” (v14)? In other texts the words “wounded, broken, and smitten” are used; each of us can relate in one of these ways.
Before knowing of this verse here in Proverbs 18, I remember a couple of times when I really felt like I had a crushed spirit - caused by others. I vaguely recall the reasons as I have genuinely forgiven the offenders, however I do remember some of the feelings that resulted.
My only recourse or shelter was running to the LORD (v10). He was there each time, assuring me everything was okay and I could rest and refresh in Him. He was faithful. He guided me in the path of wisdom, showing me and helping me with forgiveness, and having me share His love and His vision with the offending parties. Romans 8:28-31 was shared, and God received the glory for all He had accomplished.
May He continue to be our destination in this adventure of life. Mike T.

Jilli Bair said...

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" - vs. 21
Our words are important! With our tongues we have the ability to build others up or tear them down. Whether we realize it at the moment or not, what we say right now will have implications later - good or bad depending upon what is said. We must guard our tongues and be sure that we wouldn't mind "eating the fruits" of what we have spoken.

Jim Morrison said...

Verse 13 - "He who answers before listening-- that is his folly and his shame." It is so very tempting at times to give our opinions of what we think is going on without actually stopping to ask and listen. We want to jump right in and tell them what we think. We can gain so much in sight to peoples situations if we only stop and listen to them and seek the true issues at hand.

Unknown said...

Verse 13: "He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame." When I read verses like these I am convicted of my own actions. I feel the need to say my peace before someone even finishes their statement. In my own mind, I assume I already have the proper advice or answer. Verse 13 tells me that answering before listening is folly and shame to me. I would have to say that is correct. It is folly because I choose to speak before I hear the whole story. Shame plays a part because if I don't have patience to listen, then I may say something that is completely irrelevant to the matter.

Ashlie said...

Vs 10 " The name of the LORD is a strong tower, the righteous man runs into it and it safe." This really shows that I can run to God and He will keep me protect me. But how many times do I really just want to do things on my own or not want His help. I need to remember that it is only the strenght and help of the LORD can things be done.

Mandi said...

Verse 10 was an encouragement to me this morning while reading Proverbs. 10The name of the LORD is a strong tower;the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
We can be safe in the arms of the Lord. He is with me and guiding each of my steps if i am pursuing Him. This proverbs also encouraged me to take a look at my speech. Is what i am saying destroying others or building them up? I need to think more before I speak and honor God in all that I say.

Rachel said...

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion."
I think everyone knows of someone who would rather hear themselves talk than listen to what anyone else has to say, even if it is wise counsel. That being one of my greatest pet peeves, I know I have to be careful to avoid doing that very thing myself; it is far greater and ultimately more pleasant to hear instruction and listen to wisdom than to listen to my own empty words, even if they seem wise at the time. Rarely am I honoring Christ with my speech if I speak before listening or thinking.

Unknown said...

Proverbs 18:14
"A man's spirit will endure sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?"
- There are too many applications for this passage but the one that applies to me right now is how I need to be more aware of those around me that may be having a hard time with the "spirit". To practice on not being judgmental but being encouraging and maybe even listening to them and see how I can serve them in anyway. Loving people to Christ is what we all need to be doing more of and less hating in the way we treat others.

Anonymous said...

Response 2/18/2010 11:15:51 AM
Proverbs 18:10 . . .
The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
The name of Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to this world. It is important to understand that incorporated in his name is his will. God’s will is our strong fortress.
John Erbentraut

TWash said...

"A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion." This verse hit because I tend to always speak before I listen. I tend to assume especially when it comes to a disagreement. God has been giving me alot of victory lately through my relationships and listening to the other person and filtering my response through the Word and being open minded. God is good!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
julee said...

"the name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are safe". It is the Lord's name that is strong, it is who He is that can keep me safe. The righteous know Him and love Him and run to Him. I love to run; how fast do I run to Him? Why would I ever leave?

Unknown said...

6 “A fool's lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.” 7 “A fool's mouth is his undoing, and his lips are a snare to his soul.” 8 “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.” 13 “He who answers before listening—that is his folly and his shame.” I can't help but see who I used to be in these verses. I'm sure that many of us can identify with these verses as some point in our lives, when we choose not to think before we speak. These verses help to explain how thoughtless words can d great harm not only to others but to you as well. I like to think of it as Reacting vs. Responding. A Reaction is something that is automatic without thought while a Response is well thought out and delivered. Sounds like a wise man to me!

Lisa Griffiths said...

A man of many companions may come to ruin,
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
I love this verse. Sometimes I get so entangled in being a social butterfly.. who me right?... ha but in all reality I need to remember that my friends are a gift from God. I need to be the friend that sticks closer than the brother the one that people can rely on and trust.

Renee said...

From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

Today's chapter seemed to have a reoccurring theme of the tongue and how we use our words. As it says elsewhere in the Bible, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Pleasant words demonstrate that a person is content and happy and others who hear him have the same response. However, I just have this mental picture that nasty words are like being filled with worms and those worms are of their own doing.

Danyelle Steckiel said...

I have been learning a lot about listening before you speak. Proverbs is full of statements about the tongue and how we need to listen and wait to answer, or to be careful with what we say. vs 13 "he who answers before listening- that is his folly and his shame" and vs 21 "the tongue has the power of life and death." these verses bring to my mind James 1:19 where it says "Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angery" so many times we forget to listen to what others have to say, or what they are trying to say and we jump in with a defensive attitude, or we think we already have the answers so we jump in with "the answers." instead of thinking about what we are going to say, we need to really engage in other people's thoughts and really try to understand what they are thinking and feeling.

Danielle Cummings said...

Christ is many things as we read through the bible, but our source of comfort, our strong tower, is the quality that i appreciate the most. So many times i think i can handle situations on my own only to find out that i cant. Christ is the only mold that can perfectly fit into the cut thats been taken away. Whether i struggle is loss, stress, or attitude, he is always there waiting for us to call on him to come wrap his arms around us.

Erin said...

Proverbs 18: 15, "15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out." This verse talks about how knowledge needs to be in our hearts and not just in our heads. There's a big difference between "knowing" knowledge and having a personal understanding and relationship w/knowledge.

Gabe Vanderstel said...

2. "A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind."

I have had many counseling opportunities with some guys on my floor this semester. Through that and observing some theological discussions, I have come to realize that most people don't really want to understand others, they just want to explain their view. In counseling, I must remember that it is better to understand than to be understood. To do this requires selflessness and patience.

Sarah said...

I like how verse 10 says that God is a strong tower, and the righteous shall run into and are safe. I like how we can always run run to God, knowing that we will be say. God is always with us and He will never let us go!!!

Unknown said...

hahaha what blow to the head when i read verse2, "a FOOL takes no pleasure in understanding , but ONLY in expressing his opinion", ya udefinitely struggle sometimes with that.

Carrie L. said...

I found the tongue or words out of the nouth is a recurring theme in Proverbs. I don't think we realize sometimes the power of our speech. 21"The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit". This reminds me of what I have been reading in the Proverbs Driven Life, that our words should be thoughtful, truthful, and timely.

SarahK said...

Throughout the Bible the tongue is mentioned many times. And interestingly enough there is a whole chapter dedicated to communication of some kind. As a girl I know all to well how important talking and communicating with people is. And I also now how real the hurt of gossip can be between two friends, or how easy it is for someone to put their foot in their mouth. And sometimes I think even more so at BBC in such a small close knit community. This whole chapter is one all of us could embrace a little more.

Melissa Jordan said...

My favorite verse is 10. I am a visual learner so maybe that is why but I love how He is described as our strong tower, I usually picture the eiffel tower, strong, beautiful,and majestic. He is so much more than even that! He is our strong tower, keeps us safe. Another thing is a tower is big and can be seen, Christ makes Himself known to us and is bigger than anything we could ever come up against.

Jessica said...

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe." Verse 10 was a great encouragment to me. No matter what the cirucmstances or what I am going through the Lord is there and if I run to Him I will be safe becasue He is a strong tower.

Unknown said...

For me there is a lot here that I could take and apply to my life. The main thing that really stuck out to me was the end of this Proverb just reminding me, especially at this time of my life, that we do have someone who will never leave us who sticks with us closer than a brother and thats our Lord. I really take that for granted everyday and make my problems or my circumstances so much bigger than what He is in my life or at least what he should be when in reality that is not the case. Why some people choose to ponder on the things that are going on around them rather then on God I don't know, thats a question I will be asking myself for awhile because I am usually that person.