Friday, July 8, 2022
25 There’s a way that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
26 Appetite is an incentive to work;
hunger makes you work all the harder.
27 Mean people spread mean gossip;
their words are wise and burn.
28 Troublemakers start fights;
gossips break up friendships.
29 Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;
they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.
30 A shifty eye betrays an evil intention;
a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.
31 Gray hair is a mark of distinction,
the award for a God-loyal life.
32 Moderation is better than muscle,
self-control better than political power.
33 Make your motions and cast your votes,
but God has the final say.
-Proverbs 16:22-33 The Message
25 There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
26 A worker’s appetite works for him;
his mouth urges him on.
27 A worthless man plots evil,
and his speech is like a scorching fire.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
29 A man of violence entices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.
Verse 26 study: “The worker’s appetite works for him” means no matter how hard our work is, our appetite keeps us going. Hunger makes us work to satisfy our needs. Self-interest is an excellent motive for us all.
Verse 31 study: God’s blessing is a sign of long life according to the Hebrews. Gray hair and old age are good. Young people are glorified for their strength, while older people can rejoice in their years of experience and practical wisdom. Gray hair is not a sign of disgrace; it’s a crown of splendor. When you deal with older people, treat them with respect. Remember that age is an honor if it s reached by righteousness.
Verse 32 study: Self-control is the ruler of conquest. Success in school or at home can be ruined by someone who can’t control their temper. So it is a great victory to control your anger. When you are ready to get mad and explode, think about your self-control and how that can cost you the things you want. Self-discipline> physical prowess. (Self-discipline is better than physical prowess)
Verse 33 study: The lot mainly was used as formal settings and standards for determining God’s will. Several important events occurred at the lot, including identifying Achan as a man who sinned, dividing the promised land among the tribes, and selecting the first king for the nation. God can exercise his will in everything.
14 In the morning, therefore, you shall be brought near by your tribes. And the tribe that the Lord takes by lot shall come near by clans. And the clan that the Lord takes shall come near by households. And the household that the Lord takes shall come near man by man. -Joshua 7:14 ESV
2 Their inheritance was by lot, just as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses for the nine and one-half tribes. -Joshua 14:2 ESV
16 And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found." But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. Saul Proclaimed King 17 Now Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said to the people of Israel, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.' 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands." 20 Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrices was taken by lot; and Saul, the son of Kish, was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found.22 So they inquired again of the Lord, "Is there a man still to come?" and the Lord said, "Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage." 23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!" 25 Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. 26 Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. -1 Samuel 10:16-26 ESV
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