September 7 ~ Proverbs 30
Four Insatiables
16 Three things are never satisfied, no, there are four that never say, "That's enough, thank you!"—
hell,
a barren womb,
a parched land,
a forest fire.
17 An eye that disdains a father and despises a mother - that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures and consumed by young eagles.
Four Mysteries
18-19 Three things amaze me, no, four things I'll never understand—
how an eagle flies so high in the sky,
how a snake glides over a rock,
how a ship navigates the ocean,
why adolescents act the way they do.
20 Here's how a prostitute operates: she has sex with her client, takes a bath, then asks, "Who's next?"
Four Intolerables
21-23 Three things are too much for even the earth to bear, yes, four things shake its foundations—
when the janitor becomes the boss,
when a fool gets rich,
when a whore is voted "woman of the year,"
when a "girlfriend" replaces a faithful wife.
Four Small Wonders
24-28 There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are—
ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter;
marmots—vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;
locusts—leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment;
lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.
Four Dignitaries
29-31 There are three solemn dignitaries, four that are impressive in their bearing—
a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;
a rooster, proud and strutting;
a billy goat;
a head of state in stately procession.
32-33 If you're dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures, don't be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Have you ever heard someone say, “As long as I live, I will never understand so-and-so.”? This is what this wise man, Agur Ben Yakeh, is saying in this passage. He is pondering life’s mysteries and wonders and sort of “journaling” his thoughts. And among them, he makes the observation that stupid behaviors may have stupid results and bring trouble.
We have talked a lot in this study of the Proverbs about several themes… foolishness, disrespect – especially for your parents, all kinds of insatiable appetites, and the value and rewards of wisdom and hard work. I think the last sentence of this passage speaks volumes… “Churned milk (hard work) turns into butter (has rewards); riled emotions (giving in to your feelings and desires) turn into fist fights (has serious, often negative consequences).” It’s a fairly simple concept, but one that we often miss. I challenge you to keep your head, work hard, and stay out of the fist fights of life. What do you say? Are you up for it?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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September 6 ~ Proverbs 30
10 Don't blow the whistle on your fellow workers behind their backs;
They'll accuse you of being underhanded, and then you'll be the guilty one!
11 Don't curse your father or fail to bless your mother.
12 Don't imagine yourself to be quite presentable when you haven't had a bath in weeks.
13 Don't be stuck-up and think you're better than everyone else.
14 Don't be greedy, merciless and cruel as wolves, tearing into the poor and feasting on them, shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.
15-16 A leech has twin daughters named "Gimme" and "Gimme more."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
My cousin is a kindergarten teacher. Before school began, I assisted her and the other kindergarten teachers with a screening of the children who would be coming to kindergarten. While the teachers did individual testing with the children, I kept the others busy with puzzles, blocks, and reading stories. Hogan, a 5-year-old friend of mine, was glad to see me at the screening. But his mother told me that afterward he was quite upset when they got in their car to go home. He said, “I left the room with a teacher, and when I got back, she was halfway through reading a story. Didn’t she know she was supposed to wait for Hogan?!”
This is a very cute story about a 5-year-old who was temporarily disappointed with an adult. I’m sure he’s already over it… although it will be interesting to see what he has to say the next time I see him! Self-centeredness in a kindergartner is one thing… needing to be the center of attention at your age or mine is another. And this passage tells us clearly that greed, arrogance, and disrespect for others all displease God.
In kindergarten we are taught how to share, play well with others, and to be respectful of other people and their property. Sadly, these are lessons that some people never quite master. I pray that you will pay attention to this scripture passage, and that you will not be one of them.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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September 5 ~ Proverbs 30
1-2 The skeptic swore, "There is no God! No God! - I can do anything I want! I'm more animal than human; so-called human intelligence escapes me.
3-4 "I flunked 'wisdom.' I see no evidence of a holy God. Has anyone ever seen Anyone climb into Heaven and take charge? grab the winds and control them? gather the rains in his bucket? stake out the ends of the earth? Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons. Come on now -- tell me!"
5-6 The believer replied, "Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don't second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies."
7-9 And then he prayed, "God, I'm asking for two things before I die; don't refuse me - banish lies from my lips and liars from my presence.
Give me enough food to live on, neither too much nor too little.
If I'm too full, I might get independent, saying, 'God? Who needs him?'
If I'm poor, I might steal and dishonor the name of my God."
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I don’t know if this has happened to you or not, but it really frustrates me for someone to ask, “How do you know that God exists? You can’t see Him!” I read Just Give Me Jesus by Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of Billy Graham, and in the first chapters, she answers this question in a wonderful way. She says to tell the person posing the question to think of the wind. You can’t see it, but you can feel it, and you can hear the noise it makes. You know it is there – you have faith that it is there… it is the WIND! And yet, much like God, you cannot capture it in a bottle or your hand and show it to others. Still you know it is there.
So the next time someone asks you how you know God is real – how you know He is with you – tell them He is as real as the wind – and more so! Tell them you feel His Holy Spirit and hear His voice just as clearly as you feel and hear the air that blows past you. “Come on now – tell them!”
©2007 Debbie Robus
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September 4 ~ Proverbs 29
21 If you let people treat you like a doormat, you'll be quite forgotten in the end.
22 Angry people stir up a lot of discord; the intemperate stir up trouble.
23 Pride lands you flat on your face; humility prepares you for honors.
24 Befriend an outlaw and become an enemy to yourself. When the victims cry out, you'll be included in their curses if you're a coward to their cause in court.
25 The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects you from that.
26 Everyone tries to get help from the leader, but only God will give us justice.
27 Good people can't stand the sight of deliberate evil; the wicked can't stand the sight of well-chosen goodness.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
The movie Breach is about FBI operative Robert Hannsen, a man who is suspected of selling secrets to the Russians. Another agent, Eric O’Neill, is brought in to pretend to be Hannsen’s assistant, while he is really spying on him. Hannsen is crafty and very astute, and he is suspicious of O’Neill, but thankfully, O’Neill is able to satisfy any concerns Hannsen has and successfully unravel the evil doings of this man.
It’s not an easy assignment. At times, O’Neill doubts the guilt of Hannsen, because the man seems to live a life of devotion to his family, his church, and his country. And Hannsen is a very proud man… arrogant, in fact. In the end, he is a broken, distraught, destroyed human being. You could easily say that his pride – and greed – lands him flat on his face.
This movie points out that you cannot hide behind a wall of pretending to be a devoted Christian, father or mother, employee, and citizen. You cannot use God and His worship as a cover while you go about your sinful life behind the scenes. Over and over we have seen people get “too high and mighty” and then suffer a fall of mammoth proportions. Don’t go there! Don’t fall into that pit. Keep your pride in check, and ask God to keep you humble.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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September 3 ~ Proverbs 29
15 Wise discipline imparts wisdom; spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.
16 When degenerates take charge, crime runs wild, but the righteous will eventually observe their collapse.
17 Discipline your children; you'll be glad you did — they'll turn out delightful to live with.
18 If people can't see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.
19 It takes more than talk to keep workers in line; mere words go in one ear and out the other.
20 Observe the people who always talk before they think — even simpletons are better off than they are.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
My husband and I were both blessed with parents who taught us good manners and many life lessons that laid a foundation of wisdom that enabled us to be successful adults. We both worked with and for people who had obviously not had such good upbringing. These people said and did stupid things on occasion. We were both able to avoid the landmines created by these people.
Believe it or not, on more than one occasion, a coworker or supervisor came to each of us and said, basically, “I’ve been watching you and how you conduct yourself. I have seen you pass up opportunities to retaliate or be unkind or make a poor choice.” These people just wanted us to know that our efforts to do what was right had been noticed. They wanted us to know that our discipline… and the lessons our parents taught… had blessed us and those with whom we worked. I’ve said it many times, but others ARE watching you and noticing your behaviors and actions!I know many of you are anticipating the day when you will be a parent. I encourage you to remember the words of this scripture and to start preparing your heart and mind now to be the most Godly person you can be. This will ensure that the discipline and lessons you impart to your own children will result in delightful blessings.
©2007 Debbie Robus
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September 2 ~ Proverbs 29
7 The good-hearted understand what it's like to be poor; the hardhearted haven't the faintest idea.
8 A gang of cynics can upset a whole city; a group of sages can calm everyone down.
9 A sage trying to work things out with a fool gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.
10 Murderers hate honest people; moral folks encourage them.
11 A fool lets it all hang out; a sage quietly mulls it over.
12 When a leader listens to malicious gossip, all the workers get infected with evil.
13 The poor and their abusers have at least something in common: they can both see -- their sight, God's gift!
14 Leadership gains authority and respect when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
Do you recall when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005? Many of our national leaders were saying that rescue efforts were difficult, if not impossible. Yet celebrities… and some who were not so famous… found ways to get into New Orleans with food, clothing, rescue vehicles, medicine, and more. It was as if their hearts were good, while those of the “suits” in Washington were hard. Understand that I am not lumping all politicians or governmental leaders together. There are many who have big, huge hearts for all people – rich, poor, and in between. And there are plenty of celebrities and people in general who have hard hearts.
But events like Katrina stand to illustrate what happens when celebrities and those with means rally for the cause of the less fortunate. Things happen. Wheels turn. Decisions are made and plans enacted, and results are evident. When leaders and those with the means to aid the less fortunate harden their hearts, things also happen, and often the results are evident. But they are far different!
What is the lesson? In Verse 13 we see that all – rich, poor, kind, abusive – are given God’s gift of sight – and we all depend on Him to provide that and many other gifts - even our very breath! So remember the Ultimate Leader and how He treats you and others. His grace and mercy are offered freely and generously to everyone… is yours?
©2007 Debbie Robus
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September 1 ~ Proverbs 30
1 For people who hate discipline and only get more stubborn, there'll come a day when life tumbles in and they break, but by then it'll be too late to help them.
2 When good people run things, everyone is glad, but when the ruler is bad, everyone groans.
3 If you love wisdom, you'll delight your parents, but you'll destroy their trust if you run with whores.
4 A leader of good judgment gives stability; an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste.
5 A flattering neighbor is up to no good; he's probably planning to take advantage of you.
6 Evil people fall into their own traps; good people run the other way, glad to escape.
(Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. For copies of The Message call (800) 366-7788.)
I hope you never have to work for someone who is a poor leader. I hope YOU are never a poor leader or boss. I do not consider myself a quitter, and I’ve tried to stick out some pretty awful situations. But there comes a day when you have to say, “Enough!” and move forward. And as you can see in Verse 6, it is Biblical.
I knew of a person who was teaching in a school where the principal and superintendent wanted them to lie… they wanted her to sign a paper saying that she taught a class, so that the school would not lose its accreditation. However, the teacher was a Christian and new that this was not only illegal, but sinful. She also knew that refusing to sign the paper would mean losing her job. So this teacher asked for prayer – that a new job could be found – and she refused to sign the paper. I never heard for sure the outcome, but I have an idea she did indeed lose her job… probably some “reason” was created to justify her dismissal. And most likely the principal and superintendent concocted another scheme for falsifying the papers and keeping the accreditation. I am praying that she was able to get an even better job in a school with morally upright Christian leaders.
Should you find yourself in a situation where the leadership is foolish or evil, ask God to give you the courage, patience, and wisdom to figure out a way to escape and “run the other way”- or at least to stand up for what is right. And should the consequences of your choices cost your job, be assured that God will bless you and provide for your needs… and He may even give you a better job or opportunity, as well!
©2007 Debbie Robus
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