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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wisdom Project 2/24



Proverbs 24 - NIV
Proverbs 24 - ESV

Proverbs 24:8 . . .

Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.


Commentary:
Here is the description, 1. Of a weak man: Wisdom is too high for him; he thinks it so, and therefore, despairing to attain it, he will take no pains in the pursuit of it, but sit down content without it. And really it is so; he has not capacity for it, and therefore the advantages he has for getting it are all in vain to him. It is no easy thing to get wisdom; those that have natural parts good enough, yet if they be foolish, that is, if they be slothful and will not take pains, if they be playful and trifling, and given to their pleasures, if they be viciously inclined and keep bad company, it is too high for them; they are not likely to reach it. And, for want of it, they are unfit for the service of their country: They open not their mouth in the gate; they are not admitted into the council or magistracy, or, if they are, they are dumb statues, and stand for cyphers; they say nothing, because they have nothing to say, and they know that if they should offer any thing it would not be heeded, nay, it would be hissed at. Let young men take pains to get wisdom, that they may be qualified for public business, and do it with reputation

From: Matthew Henry Commentary - StudyLight

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...

“A little sleep, a little slumber…” Oh the simple temptation to roll over one more time, to catch that extra bit of shut-eye; and for me – to hit the snooze-button a time or two, or three... Let’s be careful and not allow the devil an opportunity to rob us of valuable time serving God, or being in His presence. Psalm 118:24 – This is the day which Jehovah hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (ASV).
Mike T.

Bill H said...

Mike: interesting that this verse says "a little" then "a little more", etc. I think of my own bad habits, it's not usually an avalanche of things, just a little compromise here, a little laziness there, and before I realize, areas of my life have become very sluggard (foolish) like. Sluggard-dity is something we are all suscpetible to.

Anonymous said...

Response- 2/24/2010 8:46:31 AM

Proverbs 24:87 . . .
Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the assembly at the gate he has nothing to say.

The value of wisdom is too great for the fool to grasp. The city gates represent the flow of commerce and normal social interaction. The fool is so intensely self- centered that his apathetic attitude prevents him from entering into engaging and meaningful thought concerning everyday issues.
John Erbentraut

Ashlie said...

The last part of Chapter 24 is a good reminder to me to that anything can keep me from fulfilling my task that I have before me. If I don't watch my bad habits and take hold of the wisdom given to me then I will come to ruin.

Tim K. said...
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Tim K. said...

There are several verses (esp. 17-20) that tell us how we should veiw those we consider to be enemies. We are inclined to gloat when our enemies fall. But, if we realize that the wicked have no hope we should grieve for them and pray for their repentance not rout for and gloat over their destruction.

Erin said...

Proverbs 24:10, "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength." It's important to maintain trust in God during the good times in life, but also during times where life is rough. Trials can show you who are you and how you handle situations. They can really teach you a lot. There are times where I'm going through a rough situation, but I remind myself that God has me in this position for a purpose, so I need to be open to the lesson and be teachable.

Renee said...

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

I don't want to overkill this passage, knowing that we have already looked at it several times, but I can't seem to get over it. When I was a teen, I stumbled upon it by accident and loved its singsong tone. Now I think I have a better understanding of its meaning. We only think "what's a little extra sleep?" or that something is small and won't effect the outcome. But in the end, you will be surprised to find where that path has led you.

Rachel said...

There is a great deal in this passage about vengeance and leaving the wicked for the Lord. Retaliation does not show strength; rather, wisdom is a sign of strength. It is so easy, and natural, to want to repay evil with evil but God commands the opposite for His people.

Melissa Jordan said...

Renee summed up well what I was going to talk about. This does talk a lot about retaliation and not seeking revenge. Speaking from experience, this can be difficult to do especially when the other person is not willing to forgive when you are repentant and it would be really easy to give them the silent treatment or lash out at them but this is not what God wants us to do, He still wants us to love them and be kind to them as hard as that may be.

Renee K said...

This passage talks a lot about the person who does evil. It speaks of not being glad when your enemy falls. It talks about rebuking the one who does evil. It talks about not envying the one who does evil because his end is destruction... In light of current situations going on, I definitely agree with these verses, but I am curious as to what some thoughts are on how to balance this with grace. We need to avoid the one who pursues evil, but we need to share grace as well.

Krista Harrison said...

This proverb was a challenge to me in the aspect of will my heart faint in the day adversity?? I think this goes back to that idea of my faith being strong and full of endurance. The faith will be strong if we find a healthy fear of the Lord and we adopt a genuine passion for wisdom. There is so much value in spending solid time in God's word as well. Many times we as individuals show our strength through retaliation when in reality true strength is shown through displaying self control and wisdom.

Mandi said...

i can not become lazy...the temptation of a little more a little more if i become lazy and careless well keep becoming more and more so i need to stay focused and not give in just a little..keep my eyes on God!

Chris Howard said...
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Chris Howard said...

I find myself drawn to verse ten where it says, "If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength!" What a sobering thought. I struggle and fall in so many areas of my life yet never look at it as weakness on my part. God provides a way of escape for us in any situation of temptation and yet when faced with it I fall. Why? Maybe you need to start working out a little more in that area of your life Chris! Build up some spiritual strength so that you can bench that bad boy next time he rears his ugly head.

Carrie L. said...

14 "Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off".

Honey is sweet and it is pleasing to eat. Wisdom is like honey, it is sweet to our souls and will bring refreshment. When we find wisdom, we will have a future hope, which is in Christ! This hope will not turn void, it will last forever.

Jim Morrison said...

Verse 11 - J. Vernon McGee states in his commantary on Proverbs that We do well to mark the importance of this proverb and reach out to people who are in need of our help.

He also stated there is somebody to whom you could witness for Christ, and you may be the only one to whom he would listen.

What if we are the only one that they would listen to? What if we are the one that God wants to use to reach that person? What if we choose not to allow God to use us?

Gabe Vanderstel said...

24 "Whoever says to the guilty, "You are innocent"—
peoples will curse him and nations denounce him."

I find this verse very ironic. Jesus did exactly this. He took us as completely guilty people and took our sins on himself so that we are declared righteous and innocent. In the courts of man, when a guilty person is declared innocent, we say that it is unjust, while when God judges the sinner, we call God unjust.

SarahK said...

It seems like most of this chapter is talking about the company we are to keep. I think this is so incredibly important especially with teens today. I have seen so many people my age or younger abandon their faith and the way they were raised because of friends they get. So many young people abandon morals, integrity, and self respect to fit in with "friends".

Unknown said...

Proverbs 24:11
"Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter."
- This makes me think about how I am to share the good news of the gospel to everyone that I meet. It can be something as simple as leaving them a track or just asking them about what they believe and sharing with them what I know about Christ and what He has done for us all with His free gift of salvation. Too many times I forget about all the people that are on there way to eternal punishment and get to selfish about thinking only on myself. It's always a good reminder to realize that the world we live in is a dying one that needs Christ.

Lisa Griffiths said...

My son, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not join with those who do otherwise.
I have really been struggling with what it means to Fear the Lord. In my church's ministry class I have been seeing the results of those who do not fear the Lord. I don't want to see those things in my life.

Unknown said...

“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles” (24:17). This is a warning to the godly who might be tempted to rejoice when the wicked suffer. God does not desire the death of sinners but rather their repentance.

TWash said...

Going off of Mike and Higley, little things are HUGE! I just finished a basketball season that was so evident of this truth. "Little things make big things happen." Now lets take it from the court and to our lives. As talked about in Andy Stanley's book and "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns there are sooo many little unwise decisions that take place before distruction! It is all about self discipline in the little things, which turn into destruction or blessing!

Jessica said...

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

This made me really think about how many times in my life i do this. Just a little more of this or a little more of that, and eventually end up where I don't want to be.

Nate said...

Do not fret yourself for evil doers. I found this interesting because in so much of the proverbs we concentrate on not becoming the evil doers. This little section in the proverbs is reassuring because it should encourage us to not fret ourselves to much from those who are unwise because we cannot forget that God is sovereign and is watching over us. I feel like in this quest for wisdom I forget the whole idea that God is sovereignly watching us to make sure we do not stray from him nor are enticed to stray.

Unknown said...

I looked at verse 10 of this Proverb as a challenge to myself. "If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small." ESV I have the tendency to let things get to me and affect me. I shouldn't do that. Our strength is in Christ and no matter what that's what the circumstance that is what we should rely on.

Unknown said...

Again this chapter is concerning being envious of evil men only this time it's saying don't be envious of them or desire to be with them. Not just what they have going for them in their lives, but even spending time with them at all now.