Studying Proverbs

Have decided to study Proverbs during my quiet times (with occasional breaks back to Leviticus). After studying Proverbs 31 for awhile, decided to get to the whole book!

Zeroed in on 1:1-7.

Verse 1 - The opening: these are the proverbs of Solomon*, son of David, the very king of Israel who was a man after God's own heart.

Verse 2 - To know - wisdom** and instruction. To understand - words of insight.

Verse 3 - To receive - instruction in wise dealing (in righteousness, justice, and equity).

Verse 4 - To give - prudence to the simple. Knowledge and understanding to the youth.

Whoa. These reflect RESPONSIBILITY. Also, a readiness to obtain wisdom. To seek it. To learn from it. And to use it to help others.

Who does this, and how does he/she go about it?

Verse 5 - The wise hear and increase in learning. The one who understands obtainsguidance.

Verse 6 - To understand proverbs and sayings. To understand the words of the wise and their riddles***.

Well, the wise person does the things in verse 2-4. But how? These last two verses made me think about hearing. And the difference between active and passive hearing. If one is actively hearing, then they will increase in learning. Passively hearing/listening? I'm thinking that person will not increase in learning. The person in verse 5 hears in such a way that increases his/her learning, and obtains guidance to understand proverbs, sayings, the word and riddles of the wise.

Verse 7 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."****

Fear/reverence for the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. If you are seeking wisdom, it's where you begin. Conversely, only a fool despises wisdom and instruction. Could it be that the passive hearer is a fool? And could the all out not-ever-going-t0-listen-person be a fool, as well?

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I'm looking forward into studying this further. Just jotting down some thoughts before I got to bed. Kinda sleepy thoughts, hope they make sense when I'm more awake! Definitely want to pray that by God's grace He would make me yearn to be more wise than foolish. That my heart will set towards Him and His word. That He would continue to teach me with it as He has so faithfully, lovingly, gently has. That I would rely on Christ's strength (and now my "own") as the Holy Spirit works in me.

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*1 Kings 4:29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore.

**What is wisdom? See 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. Hint: it's not the wisdom that this world celebrates.

***Made me think of when the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables in Matthew 13.

****Definitely made me think of the blessed man and the wicked man in Psalm 1. Not that a fool is always wicked, mind you. Just interested in the seemingly parallel.

Swim in the Ocean of His Love

Borrowing a quote from Ray Ortland's blog:

“Then the church shall be brought to the full enjoyment of her bridegroom, having all tears wiped away from her eyes, and there shall be no more distance or absence. She shall then be brought to the entertainments of an eternal wedding feast, and to dwell forever with her bridegroom, yea, to dwell eternally in his embraces. Then Christ will give her his loves, and she shall drink her fill, yea, she shall swim in the ocean of his love.”

Jonathan Edwards, “The Church’s Marriage to her Sons and to her God,” in Works(Edinburgh, 1979), II:22.

Made me think of Psalm 16:

Psalm 16

You Will Not Abandon My Soul

A Miktam of David.

1Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

2I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;

I have no good apart from you."

3As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,

in whom is all my delight.

4The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;

their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out

or take their names on my lips.

5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;

you hold my lot.

6The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;

in the night also my heart instructs me.

8I have set the LORD always before me;

because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

9Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;

my flesh also dwells secure.

10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,

or let your holy one see corruption.

11You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Please Help Us Find Our Friend

I have since removed the donation widget, since the search is over and he has been found safe. Please continue to pray.

(dear brother in Christ who has been missing since Tuesday)

Hundreds of friends have scoured the DC metro area; handing out flyers and searching for his car. I have personally been overwhelmed by the love that our church members and others have shown in persevering in the search. I praise God that He has knitted our church body with so many people who have the wisdom, discernment - and even specific skills - with organizing the search. I praise the God who ordained these past few days is the very same God who called Matt to Himself. Who holds Matt even now in the palm of His hand and will never let Him go. I pray that Jesus Christ our Savior be glorified throughout this situation.

Psalm 138

1 I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,
for you have so exalted your solemn decree
that it surpasses your fame.
3 When I called, you answered me;
you greatly emboldened me.

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD,
when they hear what you have decreed.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.

6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;
though lofty, he sees them from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;
with your right hand you save me.
8 The LORD will vindicate me;
your love, LORD, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.

(This psalm will be preached tomorrow at our church)

All-weather faith

“The cross is practical, it is God moving in love to meet violent men and women, facing violence and suffering for us. Your faith was born in violence. The Christian is not scared when the whole world is shaking. Your faith was born on Calvary. It can stand anything. It is an all-weather faith.

Don’t imagine you can only be a Christian when everything is smooth. Christians shine better when everything is just the opposite. Your faith was born in blood and sweat in the loneliness of Calvary. You can stand any test.”

Bishop Festo Kivengere, When God Moves in Revival (Wheaton, 1973), page 16.

Via Ray Ortland, The Gospel Coalition

Talk About a Royal Wedding!

Psalm 45

Your Throne, O God, Is Forever

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song.

1My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;

I address my verses to the king;

my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.

2You are the most handsome of the sons of men;

grace is poured upon your lips;

therefore God has blessed you forever.

3Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,

in your splendor and majesty!

4In your majesty ride out victoriously

for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;

let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!

5Your arrows are sharp

in the heart of the king’s enemies;

the peoples fall under you.

6Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.

The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;

7you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;

8your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.

From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;

9daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;

at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

10Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:

forget your people and your father’s house,

11and the king will desire your beauty.

Since he is your lord, bow to him.

12The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,

the richest of the people.

13All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.

14In many-colored robes she is led to the king,

with her virgin companions following behind her.

15With joy and gladness they are led along

as they enter the palace of the king.

16In place of your fathers shall be your sons;

you will make them princes in all the earth.

17I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;

therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

Proverbs 6:25 Eyes

Proverbs 6:25 - Do not desire her beauty in your heart,

and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;

I've been thinking about that thing with the eyes. Don't worry, this isn't another flirting or flirting revisited post. It's just that I know guys who enjoy receiving that look from girls. And it's funny, because I just read a blog post about modesty that mentioned the above verse. This is what they said about it:

“She captures him with her eyelashes,” luring him with just a look (Proverbs 6:25). And for some of us, that’s all we need…a look…and we got ‘em!

The majority of the post is about dressing modestly, if you're interested here it is.

Anyway, I'm going to let you know a little bit about my heart. A few years ago I found myself giving that "look" to a guy from my church, and I think that he noticed it. Seemed to reciprocate it, too. Not long after the exchange I started to feel bad about it. Well, not bad, maybe just weird. I started thinking to myself "do I like this guy?" I mean, I would probably only ever give that look to a guy I like, right? I started to think back in my dating past; did I give that look to guys before? And I probably did give that look to guys that I liked, but I don't remember it. What I do remember is giving that "look" to a bartender when I wanted a free drink. To a bouncer when I wanted in free or when I wanted him to let me in with a fake ID. And the scary thing is that look worked almost every time. Seriously, some of my girlfriends would just watch in amazement. Most of my girlfriends were just as good at it as I was.

I came to the conclusion that I only gave that look for selfish gain. So I vowed never to give that look again, and to be especially careful with a brother in Christ that I am not in a relationship with.

As I've been studying Proverbs 31, verses 2 and 3 really strike me:

What are you doing my son? What are you doing, son of my womb? What are you doing, son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings.

This is an impassioned plea from a mother to her son (who happens to be a king). She sees the course he is taking with women and with drink, and she is entreating him to stop and think. And change.

I don't want to ever be that woman in earlier chapters of Proverbs and alluded to in Proverbs 31:2-3. I want to be that woman in the Proverbs 31:10-31. I want to be the kind of woman that a Psalm 1 (blessed) man would be interested in. :)

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Random, I know. Just felt compelled to share.

Morning by morning/New mercies I see

Morning by morning

New mercies I see

I often start out my prayers thanking God for His new mercies, the ones that come from His endless supply. Asking for the grace to accept them humbly, knowing that I have done nothing to deserve them. This morning I prayed about the same, and was just struck by it so powerfully. The Lord has given me new mercies even this morning. How amazing is it that He has such an endless, rich supply, and every morning He gives them to me? He is not like us (thank goodness), He is not limited as to what He can do for others. He opens up His storehouse and lavishly gives. Every single morning. Without fail. I started to feel like a kid on Christmas morning, you know that moment, right as your about to run to the the tree. Except these gifts are different. They are not toys that will break or clothes that I will grow out of. These gifts are renewed every day, and carry with them the luminous splendor that only a gift straight from God can hold. They are some of the most amazing gifts I will ever receive. Like manna:

Exodus 16

14And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.

31Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

New. Every single morning. Without fail. Without hesitation. Not as a reward, but a free gift. Because He loves me, and loves to provide for me. Because I am His child.

Lamentations 3

21But this I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:

22The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"therefore I will hope in him."