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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Sunday, 13 August 2023:
Jeremiah 38:4 — Let this man be put to death, for he is weakening the hands of the soldiers who are left in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking such words to them. For this man is not seeking the welfare of this people, but their harm.
The truth often hurts, but “wounds from a friend can be trusted.” In this case, the truth was hurting morale, which directly effects the strength of the fighting force. The officials had good reason to be concerned, but they were wrong in assuming that Jeremiah intended to harm them – quite the opposite was true. If you love someone, you must tell them the truth. Jeremiah was willing to tell the truth to those who did not want to hear it at great peril to his life.
Jeremiah 38:6 — So they took Jeremiah and cast him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the court of the guard, letting Jeremiah down by ropes. And there was no water in the cistern, but only mud, and Jeremiah sank in the mud.
Jeremiah was faithful to God’s word, and God allowed him to be persecuted in a life-threatening way. What doubts would you have had in Jeremiah’s position? Do you need people or circumstances to validate your fidelity to God?
Jeremiah 38:19 — King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.”
King Zedekiah’s character was 180-out from Jeremiah’s. King Zedekiah was motivated by fear and self-preservation, ready to disobey God and destroy a city in hopes of saving his own skin. Where does fear and selfishness rule in your life?
Psalm 92:1, 2 – It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night….
Praising the LORD from the beginning of the day until the end is good for you. Make this your habit. Sometimes you might not feel you have a heart of praise. Praise anyway and see how your heart changes.
Psalm 92:5-7 – How great are your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever.
Only a fool rejects God and His wisdom, trusting in their incredibly limited and perishable knowledge. Why not go to the Creator of the Universe to guide you through your life?
Psalm 92:6 – The stupid man cannot know; the fool cannot understand this….
If you cannot find reason to praise the LORD all day, understand that it is because there is a problem with your senses. You need to adjust your focus, get tuned in with God. You cannot see what is obvious because of a heart problem.
Psalm 93:1 – “The Lord reigns.”
God is all powerful, omnipresent, omniscient, unchanging, and perfect. He loves you perfectly and provides what is perfect. We can trust God completely though we cannot possibly understand what He is doing. How much you really believe this will determine how you respond to any situation, whether you will trust and obey Him or instead sin.
Proverbs 13:1 – A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
A scoffer is a person who simply won’t listen to reason and truth because of their pride. The Bible has much to say about scoffers:
- Don’t listen to scoffers, argue with scoffers, or associate with them. (Psalm 1:1)
- Scoffers enjoy and take pride in their rebuttal of truth and ignorance of truth. (Proverbs 1:22)
- Arguing with a scoffer will only cause you needless pain. (Proverbs 9:7)
- Scoffers hate those who speak the truth. (Proverbs 9:8)
- Scoffers refuse to accept a loving rebuke, no matter from whom it comes. (Proverbs 13:1)
- Scoffers seek wisdom and often claim wisdom, but they remain foolish because they are blinded by their pride and arrogance – you cannot fix what you are not willing to be honest about. (Proverbs 14:6)
- Scoffers will not seek the counsel of those who are wise but rather will surround themselves with people who tell them what they want to hear. Those who seek the truth are willing to listen to opposing views because truth can withstand any scrutiny. (Proverbs 15:12)
- A scoffer can must be controlled externally because they have no self-control. They need external discipline because they do not have internal discipline. (Proverbs 19:29; 21:11)
- All scoffers are arrogant and prideful. Pride leads to destruction. (Proverbs 21:24)
- Scoffers are the source of quarrelling. Where there is no scoffer, there is no quarrelling. (Proverbs 22:10)
- Scoffers are an abomination to mankind before the Lord. (Proverbs 24:9)
- Scoffers start fights that can destroy society; they increase disunity rather than unity. (Proverbs 29:8)
- Scoffers cannot ‘hear’ (understand or accept) God’s word, even if someone explains it clearly and shows it to them practically. They don’t have an intellect problem; they have a heart (spiritual) problem. Sound reason and evidence cannot convince them. (Isaiah 28:14; Acts 13:41)
- Scoffers will be destroyed and face eternal judgment. (Isaiah 29:20)
- Scoffers will increase in the last days. (2 Peter 3:3; Jude 1:18)
- Scoffers are led by their passions rather than by the Spirit. (Jude 1:18)
- Scoffers are fools. There are 118 Bible verses that deal with foolishness. Do a topical study on foolishness to learn more.
How you respond to a rebuke speaks volumes about how humble you are and what kind of Christian you are. It also largely determines how quickly you will grow spiritually.
Proverbs 13:2 – From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
God’s people are designed in the physical form to translate the spiritual into the physical world. One of the first places spiritual realities become physical or are “created” physically is with words. First, ideas are spoken and then resonate in the physical world. God first created by speaking. Similarly, our words have an effect on the world. Our words will either produce good fruit or bad, and Jesus said that we will be held accountable for every word that comes out of our mouths. Today, take a close account of all the words you speak and what impact they have on your attitude and on others. What are your words creating? Are they uplifting, constructive, positive, and reconciling, or are they negative and counterproductive? Also, count your “I” and “Me” personal pronouns, checking for self-centeredness, self-edification, self-promotion, and self-righteousness.
Proverbs 13:3 — Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Guarding your mouth takes intentional, planned effort, and it is not easy. Guarding your mouth starts first with guarding your heart. The mouth reveals what is really in the heart. Rash words can ruin you.
Proverbs 13:4 — The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
Desires without effort are just empty dreams. Dreams are not plans; plans are not actions. Nothing happens without a plan well executed. You don’t generally get something for nothing. You reap what you sow. Good things come to those who work for them. This is true in our spiritual development as well. Discipleship requires daily discipline.
Proverbs 13:5 – The righteous hates falsehood, but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.
The righteous will desire obedience. Are you truly righteous? If you love flowers, you have to hate weeds. If you are ok with little lies, you have a heart problem. Be honest with yourself first and consider deeply where you have grown complacent with falsehood, even in little ways.
Proverbs 13:7 — One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
A truthful person does not pretend to be something they aren’t. They are an open book — no secrets. What you really are eventually reveals itself. It matters little what you say; what matters is what you really do, and from what motivation you do it.
Proverbs 13:8 – The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth, but a poor man hears no threat.
It can be freeing to have nothing left to lose.
Proverbs 13:10 – By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.
Arguments are fueled by selfish pride. Another way to interpret this verse is, “Pride only breeds quarrels.” At the root of pride is comparison, comparing ourselves to other in an egotistical manner. It is very hard for some people to accept that others might know more than they in a particular area. It takes humility to admit weakness before others. How many truly humble people do you find quarrelling?
Proverbs 13:11 – Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.
There are no shortcuts with the things that really matter in life like relationships, health, financial security, and spiritual development. It must be developed every day, little by little over time to produce results over time. Successful people are willing to do today what unsuccessful people aren’t in order to have tomorrow what unsuccessful people won’t.
Proverbs 13:13 – Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
God’s word is not hard to understand. What a person does with God’s word determines consequences and is life defining. Ignoring God’s word or making light of it is the same as despising it. When God speaks, it is either everything to you because it is the word of the KING, or it is nothing at all. To approach God’s word casually is to disrespect the Majesty and Sovereignty of God. Why not read and heed the word God has given you to honor and glorify the Sovereign Lord and to be blessed?
Proverbs 13:13-15 — Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death. Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.
I like the way the NIV says the last verse above: “The way of the unfaithful is hard.” Sin, all sin, is terrible and produces destructive consequences, ultimately death, in the physical and spiritual realms. Sin is counter to God (anti-Christ) and, of course, God takes sin very seriously. God has given us His word that we may live life to its fullest and grow in love. However, our sinful choices cause such pain and destruction.
Sin makes us all victims and victimizers; there is no such thing as victimless sin; even sinful thoughts ultimately produce a harvest of pain. The sin offerings described in Leviticus 1 brutally displayed the destructiveness of sin. When the sinner offered the “male without defect” the sinner placed his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and the sinner slaughtered the perfect, innocent animal. The blood was then sprinkled against the alter on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The sin offering was intended to be a dramatic object lesson (using a physical object to teach deep truths). The sinner was given a very clear picture of the penalty for all sin, but the sinner was also given a prophetic picture of the atonement that would ultimately be provided through the Great “Male Without Defect,” Jesus Christ. True repentance and saving faith in Jesus should simultaneously bring us great joy and peace but also great hatred for the sin that caused our Lord to suffer and that causes so much pain to others. It is impossible to love God without hating sin, and to make light of sin is to make light of the penalty that was paid for your sin (see Hebrews below). It is impossible to truly love others while remaining light hearted toward sin. One cannot help but wonder if there is such a thing as a “carnal Christian.”
Proverbs 13:18, 20 – Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is honored…. Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Many verses in today’s proverbs speak to the wisdom of accepting sound, godly counsel, and the foolishness of ignoring godly counsel and being influence instead by the ungodly. How important is it to surround yourself with godly counsellors and friends?
The Bible is clear that only followers of Jesus are “wise,” it is not an intellectual endeavor but rather a spiritual one. If you aren’t walking with fellow committed Christians, disciples of Jesus, you will suffer harm. Are your friends strong Christians who are helping you get closer to Jesus every day while you help them do the same? Do your friends challenge and encourage you to me more like Jesus each day? Choose your friends carefully.
Proverbs 13:21 – Disaster pursues sinners, but the righteous are rewarded with good.
Sinners don’t fall into disaster, they are chased by disaster, and they will be caught.
- Hebrews 10:26-31 -- For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Proverbs 13:22 – A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
How many Christians today are planning for the prosperity of their children’s children? Godly parents don’t just plan for their children’s future but also their children’s children. Godly parents think generationally.
Proverbs 13:24 — Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.
Love and discipline go together. External discipline prepares the way for internal discipline.
Proverbs 13:25 — The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
This is a very interesting Proverb. The appetite of the righteous is satisfied, but why? Perhaps it is because the appetite of the righteous is content with “enough” rather than “just a little more.” The righteous have learned to be content with what God has provided while the wicked are never satisfied in their empty cravings. The choice of the word “enough” in this Proverb is significant – it doesn’t say “plenty,” or “an abundance.” Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” rather than “give us this day bread for a lifetime.” Learning to walk in daily dependence on and confidence in God is where we find peace, contentment, and joy. In this position, we are like the “poor man” who “hears no threat (Proverbs 13:8).” Jesus is the Living Water which leaves us thirsty no more, no longer chasing after unquenchable selfish passions and desires.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 13 August 2023: Today, pray and meditate upon the Sovereignty and Holiness of God and the implications to your daily living. Meditate upon what it means to serve the KING on this earth. Consider what the Bible means by, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:16) Visualize trusting God and obeying Him regardless personal cost. (Psalm 92, 93)
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 