June 7 - Proverbs 13-15: The Way of the Wise

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 13-15

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Wise people listen to wise people. Fools listen to daytime television.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Intelligent children develop good conversation skills. They hate false talk and converse in substantial topics. They listen and honor God's Commands. They embrace correction and walk with the wise.
Wise people take care of their mouths and animals. They stay on God's life-track.
Wise people discern truth and cautiously walk forward. They help neighbors and acquire wisdom.
Righteousness can make an entire nation strong but wickedness hurts anyone.
Gentle responses and kind words soothe.
God sees all.
Good advice spreads knowledge.
Intelligent people love being told new truths.
Simple lives with God are better than the high life with evil.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Wise people welcome wisdom.

Wisdom remains central to the proverbs of Solomon. He mentions this several times: the wise listen to parents, acquire the ability to converse in substantial topics, enjoy correction, and listen to any other wise person. To be wise we must welcome and enjoy listening to those who are wise. If we speak with dullards or read/watch/listen to stories that have little knowledge or wisdom we will eventually become the same. It is best to avoid these types of media/people as much as possible. Cynics cannot accept any form of wisdom—avoid them as well.

Righteousness can lift an entire nation.

Solomon is using the compare-and-contrast method of teaching. He compares the outcome of the righteous to the outcome of the wicked in many different ways. In this case he shows that if right and wrong were ships, righteousness could buoy an entire nation while wickedness could not lift a single person. For this reason individuals, communities, and full nations should invite Lady Wisdom into their homes to help their families, communities, and nations walk in wise ways. Righteousness can lift every person equally. Wickedness can lift no one.

God cannot stand religious theater but loves genuine conversation.

David mentioned a similar idea in Psalm 31. If God cares more for the why of religion instead of the what, religious theater means little. What is significant to Him is connection. This is why true conversation means more to God than anything associated with "religion." God wants you to connect with Him through prayer, not perform the "right" set of rituals.

A simple life with God is better than a flashy life with sin.

George Sanders, the voice of Shere Khan in The Jungle Book, was a talented actor who was good. I remember his captivating performance in All About Eve. I wanted to learn more about him. Unfortunately, what I learned did not impress me. He had no respect for people, especially women. He confessed to being rude and hateful. In April 1972 he committed suicide and his wrote in his suicide note, "Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck." I have never heard of a person coming to the later years of his life and believing God's life was not worth it.

To whom do you listen?

June 6 - Proverbs 10-12: Solomon's Proverbs - The Consequences of Righteousness

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 10-12

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

The smallest part of righteousness is appreciated. The smallest part of wickedness is scorned.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God blesses wisdom, honesty, diligence, and hard work.
The wise discipline their tongues.
God's blessings make a rich life.
The worse nightmares of the wicked come true—they are destroyed, but the desires of good people come true.
God loves fair businesses with down-to-earth, honest people. Principled lives help people save more than money.
Entire villages enjoy having good people. They cheer when bad people suffer.
God knows the difference between good and bad people. Each to their own consequences.
Learn God's discipline and be corrected.
Wise people are mindful of their speech. Worry and laziness lead to trouble.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God blesses the righteous with money and more.

It is currently chic to look down on successful people or businesses as somehow benefiting from an unrighteous system. Also, to save money is a problem because that money could be used to help the ailing economy. The truth is success is more nuanced than that. According to Solomon, God blesses those with hard-working, honest lives and also those who run honest, upright businesses. At the same time, money is neither the benchmark for success nor the goal of a righteous life. It is the byproduct of righteousness. First develop an honest, diligent work ethic and God will bless you with physical blessings. The second without the first leads to a terrible downfall.

God gives direction and insurance.

Solomon summarizes the interpersonal results of righteousness, "When it goes well for good people, the whole town cheers; / when it goes badly for bad people, the town celebrates. " (11:10, The Message). The insurance and help righteous people get is not directly from God. It comes from their neighbors. Good people have the world on their side when bad things happen. Great illustrations of this principle are found when a natural disaster strikes a community. Those who have a reputation for righteousness are gladly helped. Those who do not are helped begrudgingly.

God gives consequences according to our work.

Those who work well are rewarded with good pay. Those who scrape by in life scrape by financially. Kindness returns kindness and cruelty returns cruelty. If you wonder why people are so mean to you, first consider your actions.

Wise people discipline their tongues.

Solomon has a lot to write about in this area. Wise people keep their tongue in check. They do not spout off, pass rumors, talk too much, or flaunt their strengths. What a difficult, essential part of living a righteous life. Wise people listen discerningly and speak accordingly. That is why the wise survive.

What consequences do you see in your life?

June 5 - Proverbs 7-9: Lady Wisdom vs. Madame Whore

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 7-9

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Both Wisdom and the Seductress give advice. Only one is worth listening to.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Friend, make Wisdom and Insight your closest confidants.
The Seductress looks for senseless men walking idly. They think sleeping with her safe but instead they die painful deaths.
Wisdom preaches in the square, "Listen up, you blockheads. Want the path to life and great success? God made me before the earth so ignore my words at your own peril. You, in the streets, obey and live well."
Madame Whore also calls out, "Want the good life? It's easy; steal it! You can get away with it!" What her followers do not know, however, is that her followers end up dead.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

What is done in secret never stays secret.

It doesn’t matter how hard a person may try, the sins they commit in secret will not stay secret forever. That is the lesson of the man with an arrow in his liver. One of the main reasons is that sin always lasts longer than expected. The Seductress told the man they were safe for a month. The husband didn't come home early—the man couldn't leave. He was trapped. Beware sins that entice with the perceived cloak of secrecy. They never end up that way.

Lady Wisdom calls out to everyone to live lives that set things right.

Lady Wisdom wants the simpleminded and those who do not know how to live to listen to her. She was created long before the world and knows wisdom that no person could possibly make up. She understands that wealth is not greater than Wisdom and that the obsession for setting things right for God is true sanity. Listen to Lady Wisdom's advice—it leads to life!

Lady Wisdom is not the only one calling.

What a tragedy those who follow Madame Whore become. They believe the secret to success is stealing it from others, or stepping on everyone below to make sure they have no competition at the top. They, too, will become a skeleton in her closet. Do not listen to Madame Whore's call—it leads to death!

Who do you listen to?

June 4 - Proverbs 4-6: Investing in Wisdom and Good Women

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 4-6

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

There are things God hates. Take note.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Listen to my father's passed-down-generation-after-generation advice. Buy Wisdom and search for Understanding—it's worth the investment.
Evil people dream of evil deeds. Their road leads to darkness.
Listen, your heart is the source of life. Stay on the right path.
A seductive woman is bad news—stay far away. Stay with your own woman; it's better.
If you make a terrible mistake, rectify the situation without delay.
Work hard like the ant. Lazy people wind up poor.
God hates six things and loathes seven: arrogance, lies, innocent-murders, evil hearts, cheap thrills, truth-evading, and family-busting.
Don't commit adultery. It's deadly. Don't.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Invest in Wisdom and Understanding

One of the issues schools have today is how to help students gain a love of learning while teaching them what they need to know. Schools could teach thousands of facts, but if the student is not invested in learning they are not prepared for life. When we invest in wisdom and understanding (with our foundation set in God) our lives become beautiful. Think of the most beautiful people you know. They are most likely lifetime learners.

The road of the wicked looks like an easy bypass but is a death road.

The get-(insert here)-quick scheme always seems the best until you start doing what they suggest. Then you realize it isn’t as easy as you thought. They have either tricked you into going down the hard path or are trying to get your money/life. The "bypass" around the hard parts of life turns out to be a road of bones—dark and treacherous because of the dangerous people there.

Stay away from cheap women.

"Nothing but Sin and Bones" is the heading for this section in The Message. In reality, that is what a woman who seduces men becomes. Stay away! She only leads to tears. In reality, her love cannot satisfy as much as a woman who makes you "earn" her love. Compare the outcomes from the lovers in the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) to the lovers of "cheap thrills woman" or the Seductress. Solomon wanted to pound this into our heads. It's repeated tomorrow as well. Stay away from cheap, seductive women. Find a woman who helps you earn her love. They're worth the investment.

Don't wait to set things right.

Solomon uses the negative side of this coin to illustrate how important setting things right should be. If you make a mistake go quickly and set things right. There's no time to lose! Maybe your swiftness can help you get out of the bad decision. If you make a mistake, set things right now! Don't wait!

God hates things that do not set things right.

God is Love (we'll read that in the New Testament). Yet even He hates when people do not set things right. All seven prevent things that set things right. Purge yourself of these seven things:

eyes that are arrogant,
a tongue that lies,
hands that murder the innocent,
a heart that hatches evil plots,
feet that race down a wicked track,
a mouth that lies under oath,
a troublemaker in the family. (6:17-19, The Message)

What are your investments?

June 3 - Proverbs 1-3: Introducing Solomon's Manual for Living -- Surprise! It's God's Manual After All

Today’s Reading: Proverbs 1-3

The Message

English Standard Version

Today we begin the wise sayings of Solomon, Proverbs. The first part of this book can be summarized easily; however, as we go through the summaries will transition to listing the topics instead of summarizing the chapters. We will continue this book solo until Solomon's portion is finished.

Since the book is a treasure-trove of setting things right I will attempt to give broader-themed comments instead of getting bogged down in the minutiae. Feel free to do so in the comments!

Thought to Guide Your Reading

The foundation of all wisdom is trusting in God's Way.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

These are the wise sayings of Solomon, his manual for living.
If you want to be wise the first step is bowing before God. Fools act like self-made humans.
These wise sayings will bring blessings.
Wicked people will lead you into a personal abyss.
Lady Wisdom calls for people to live better lives.
This book—it will become gold to your life.
Good company helps thwart bad ideas.
Life comes from wisdom, not physical blessings.
Think clearly with common sense—the recipe for stress-free living. Help your community if you are able and be courteous. God blesses and curses accordingly.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The book of Proverbs is a manual for living.

There have been several books similar to Proverbs—short sayings that help guide people to better living. Proverbs is a book as an ironic entry in the self-help genre—a book that states self-help comes from not doing what "self" wants. Although Proverbs stands along peers, you will find that it stands above and beyond all of them. This is because it came from the Creator. The book of Proverbs is a manual for living—God's manual for practical living.

The beginning of knowledge is to bow before God.

The Manual for Living (Proverbs) is a book filled with great sayings and important interpersonal, familial, and business advice. However, the most important part of the entire book, the part that if missed will cause the rest of the book to make no sense, is the first piece of advice—start with God. When our foundation is God, all things make sense. When our foundation is in something else it can only take us so far. Consider scientific or mathematical mindsets—highly rational and logical. Both can give great insights into how the world is made up and how it works. Great marvels of engineering, healthcare, and data processing mesh into an amazing world. However, logic alone cannot sustain life. Consider the story of Job. The entire point is that only God makes sense when all other things fail: possessions, physical life, family, religion, logic, reason. Nothing can compete with God's ability to set things right.

Setting things right will make life go well.

In what could be considered the way in which Solomon proves his point that when God is your foundation all things make sense, he uses several personifications of setting things right: Lady Wisdom, Knowledge, Common Sense, Madame Insight, etc. Each of these take you through their functions of setting things right in the book. They prevent bad situations and help through trials. But all of them ring with the same idea: setting things right makes life go well; in essence, setting things right for others will set things right for you.

Not setting things right—either by doing wrong things or by ignoring calls to set things right—will make life more stressed.

The second way that Solomon proves his point that God is the foundation of all things that make sense is the negative—pointing out where things go wrong. These, too, have personifications, though not as many: the Temptress, the Seductress, etc. They will try to make people not do what is right. Here is the difficult part—we cannot know the difference between the personifications of good and evil until God is our foundation. When God is our foundation we can live a relatively stress-free life because good and evil become as different as night and day. The gray areas of life, when examined, become patches of black and white which were only blurred together to make gray.

Giving freely when you are able and not being a bully leads to few enemies.

The first example Solomon uses is helping others. Never tell a neighbor you cannot give what they need if you actually can. We can debate the definition of "neighbor," "help," and/or "need" another time. What is important here is the idea that God does not take advantage of His People; therefore, His People should not take advantage of each other. When we take advantage of others we live worried about who will call, who will visit, and who is out to get us. God's Way circumvents that stress. God's Way leads to life.

Do you live without looking over your shoulder?

May 31 - 1 Kings 3-4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 72: Solomon Asks for God's Wisdom to Set All Things Right

Today’s Reading: 1 Kings 3-4; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 72

The Message

English Standard Version

Today marks five months and 150 days of reading the Bible through in a year! Keep going, you're almost halfway.

Today we begin reading 2 Chronicles. It will lead us through the life of Solomon, the split kingdom, Israel's downfall, and Jerusalem's eventual destruction. Since it chronicles similar events to the books of 1 and 2 Kings (along with several of the prophets) it will take almost three months to finish it.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God blesses Solomon with all of the perks of setting things right because he asked for the wisdom to set all things right.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Solomon arranged peace with Pharaoh. He sacrificed 1000 animals to God. That night, God informed Solomon he would receive anything he asked. Humbled by his position, he asked for God's wisdom. God granted it.
Two prostitutes fought over a child. Solomon suggested splitting the child in half. The real mother willingly gave up her claim to save him, so Solomon gave the boy to her. Everyone in Israel stood in amazement at Solomon's wisdom.
Solomon's house and city were filled with people and great riches. Solomon's wisdom surpassed that of any sage from any place in the world. Trade flourished.

Psalm (P)Synopsis

Psalm 72

In this Solomon psalm, he writes in honor of his request given to God. He asks for wisdom, protection for the poor, and justice to tyrants. The enemies of God will fall because God will help all people. May God live and never be forgotten! Blessed is God! Yes!

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God chose the best son of David.

David's sons are not known for being very moral people. One son raped his sister and two sons stole his throne before he died. Solomon, however, is completely different. He is so humbled by his position of authority that he wants God's help to rule. When God chooses a leader, He has chosen the best.

Solomon asked for the wisdom to set all things right. So God gave him the perks of setting things right.

Solomon's request was for a higher blessing because the other blessings would have set some things right but only for a short time. Instead, Solomon wanted to set all things right:

Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people? (1 Kings 3:9, The Message)

Ask God for blessings that will set all things right.
All of the other blessings of money, wealth, fame, the doom of his enemies, and long life were given to Solomon because they are the result of setting things right. They may not be universal or the only things you receive when you set things right; nonetheless, the troubles that you receive when you set things right pale in comparison in the end. When we set things right, we will receive fame, fortune, long life, and the downfall of our enemies.

Solomon's decision in the dispute between the two prostitutes set things right.

What at first may seem a barbarous act, cutting a child in half, in reality was the decision that set things right. The true mother was willing to give up her claim on the boy to save his life. Because of her willingness to sacrifice herself instead of her son, Solomon settled the dispute in the right way—reuniting mother and son. In any dispute, seek the decision that will set things right—even if it may be strange or counterintuitive.

Solomon was greatly blessed by God.

God promised Israel that if they gave to the poor He would bless them to the point that

there would be no poor among them. Because of Solomon's great wisdom and humility God's blessing came true—the city became so blessed by God that there were virtually no poor people in the city. When God's People seek God's wisdom and act upon it, there will be no needy people among them.

All of the world will fall down and worship God because of His greatness.

Kings far and famous, rich and powerful, polytheists and atheists will worship because they see God's great works,

Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need,
   the destitute who have run out of luck.
He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out,
   he restores the wretched of the earth.
He frees them from tyranny and torture—
   when they bleed, he bleeds;
   when they die, he dies. (72:12-14, The Message) 

The greatest part is that this god is our god! How blessed is God, our god! All earth shows His Glory! Yes!

What would you ask for if God were willing to grant anything you asked?