Chapters 25—26 contain proverbs that are mainly comparisons. The keywords in these chapters are “like … so.” A group of scholars who served during King Hezekiah’s reign (715-686 B.C.) added to the collection of Solomon’s Proverbs. These men lived about 250 years after Solomon.
Proverbs 25- The beginning of the Proverbs relates to those in a higher position. Maybe you can think of this at your job, with the government, in church, etc. I like to think we all are a leader position in something. God will search our hearts and our motives. The one verse that really stuck out to me is:
Remove the dross from the silver,
and a silversmith can produce a vessel;
When silver is refined, it is put to extreme heat. The dross is the “scum” or the waste that floats to the top that gets discarded.
It is in the fire that God not only separates people, but it also refines us on the inside. Stop for a minute and think about the seasons in your life that you have come out of a situation closer to God. I am guessing it was a time when you were struggling and needed him. After he removed the dross what was left: A vessel for Him to fill! Something He can USE!
Click here if you want to see 100 scriptures related to the refiners’ fire.
These proverbs talk about avoiding self-promotion, public disgrace (and I know you think this does not apply to you…our minds go to Politicians) but your social media presence…Does it Glorify God? Does it throw stones or stir up controversy? I still love the WWJD. If Jesus had a Facebook would He post that? Man, I have read some of the stuff I have posted in “emotion” and thought “What was I thinking, they will never reach out to me if I hosted a Bible Study now!”
I know this post is super late but I want to talk about this one. It is VERY easy to read a Scripture OUT OF CONTEXT! I just did it!!! Here it is:
21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
22 In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.
I read this as “kill them with kindness…don’t worry, God will handle the punishment or consequence”. So this bothered me. Do you want to know what this means!!! In ancient times, when someone’s fire would go out, a neighbor who had a good fire would give him some hot coals out of love to help him get his fire going. They would carry the coals in a bucket on their head. I am sure this was uncomfortable (being loved by an enemy is uncomfortable) BUT what is the end result?? You helped them get their fire back!!
So like the Proverb from Will Smith, the Prince of Bel Air” “are you stoking their fire, or pissing on it” (sorry, but true). I have to get back to the Bible BUT when I was seeking Christianity…I had one neighbor giving me hot coals and another neighbor putting it out by beating me up with scripture. Let’s be careful.
Proverbs 26: Mercy! So much. These are “deep” and I really want some of them to resinate so I pulled some of them in a “lighter version” to give us something to think about:
4 Don’t respond to the stupidity of a fool;
you’ll only look foolish yourself.
8 Putting a fool in a place of honor
is like setting a mud brick on a marble column.
15 A shiftless sluggard puts his fork in the pie,
but is too lazy to lift it to his mouth.
17 You grab a mad dog by the ears
when you butt into a quarrel that’s none of your business.
20 When you run out of wood, the fire goes out;
when the gossip ends, the quarrel dies down.
22 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy;
do you want junk like that in your belly?
Clearly, I can post them all!!
Click here to read this chapter in the Message. Post one in comments that poked you in the rib!!
Reading the Bible - 2021 