Proverbs 3:19 (NKJV) — 19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens;
Proverbs 3:19 (KJV 1900) — 19 The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; By understanding hath he established the heavens.
If wisdom and understanding were useful to God Himself in creation, surely they will be useful to us in dealing with the everyday affairs of life. In fact, by the proper use of wisdom and understanding, we can “found” and “establish” good things as well.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:18 (NKJV) — 18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.
Proverbs 3:18 (KJV 1900) — 18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.
The first mention of the tree of life is in Genesis 2:9.
Genesis 2:9 (NKJV) — 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
If the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents sinful choices and carnal “wisdom,” the tree of life may represent true, spiritual wisdom. It is necessary to “take hold” of wisdom and to “retain” her. Fallen human nature tends toward ignorance and folly; a disciplined effort to pursue and retain godly wisdom is necessary.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:17 (KJV 1900) — 17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.
Pleasant ways and peaceful paths. Where there is wisdom, there will be pleasantness and peace. Wisdom never results in strife and contention.
Proverbs 13:10 (KJV 1900) — 10 Only by pride cometh contention: But with the well advised is wisdom.
James 3:13–4:1 (KJV 1900) — 13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. 14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. 18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. 1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
[archive]
Sometime ago I mentioned my plan to post the completion of writing projects. This would serve as a kind of diary for me, and it would keep interested people up to date on what I’m doing in these retirement years.
I have not, however, been completely consistent. This post will serve as an update on some of my recent work.
Earlier this month I completed writing four lessons for The Discipleship Series published by the Pentecostal Publishing House. The series is titled “Thriving in Babylon.” As you might imagine, the four lessons rotate around the miracles recorded in the Book of Daniel. Each lesson also incorporates current miracles that relate in some way to those experienced by Daniel and the three “Hebrew children,” as we often call Daniel’s three friends. These modern miracles occurred in the lives of missionaries Allan and Georgene Shalm, Elton Bernard, Andrew D. Urshan, and Daniel Scott.
The lessons were due on April 17, 2020. I submitted all of them before the deadline.
I am in the midst of the major project of completing the second volume of my commentary on Psalms, titled The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places. The second volume begins with Psalm 73. Today I finished Psalm 76. Therefore, the following psalms are complete: Psalms 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 110, 132.
I have a lot of work to do!
I am also developing two streams of devotions. The first consists of short video readings from my book If God Loves Me, Why Am I Hurting? I have completed twenty-three. Each reading is about five minutes and covers some four or five pages. I have another 135 pages to go.
The second stream is made up of brief excerpts from my commentary on Proverbs, titled Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World. I started at Proverbs 1:1, and I’m currently on Proverbs 3:15-16.
About three weeks ago today I was asked to write an article for Pentecostal Life on the question of whether there is a difference between happiness and joy. I’m not sure which issue of the magazine will carry the article, but it should be released soon.
I’ve been on Twitter and this website for quite a while, but I recently decided to join Facebook as well. My devotions from Proverbs appear on FB daily, as they do here and on Twitter. Once in a while I post something else on FB, but danielsegraves.com is my central site for posting articles, videos, papers, and so forth.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:15–16 (KJV 1900) — 15 She is more precious than rubies: And all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. 16 Length of days is in her right hand; And in her left hand riches and honour.
Nothing we can think of is worth more than wisdom and understanding. The three blessings of wisdom are length of days, riches, and honor. Length of days seems to refer to the quality of life. (See Proverbs 3:2.) It is the most important of the three blessings, for it is pictured as being in wisdom’s right hand. In Scripture, the right hand is the preeminent place, the place of greatest honor and power. Riches and honor are held in wisdom’s left hand.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:14 (KJV 1900) — 14 For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, And the gain thereof than fine gold.
Wisdom and understanding are profitable. The Hebrew word translated “merchandise” speaks specifically of profit. Gold and silver, the two most precious metals in the ancient world, are a poor second and third to the value of wisdom and understanding. There is always a market for wisdom and understanding, even in the secular world. People who have these qualities are in demand everywhere. Those who possess them will never find themselves on the shelf.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:13 (KJV 1900) — 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding.
The source of true happiness. Genuine happiness, not temporary thrills or pleasure, comes to the person who finds wisdom and understanding. This truth helps us appreciate the true value of wisdom and understanding. They bring lasting happiness to the human condition, which nothing materialistic can do.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:11–12 (KJV 1900) — 11 My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; Neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Permissiveness is not love. If we can understand God’s motive in chastening us, it will help us not to despise His chastening and not to be weary of His correction. God chastens His children because He love them, just a a wise and loving father disciplines the son in whom he delights. Loving parents do not discipline their children to hurt them or to keep them from having fun. They discipline them because of the inherent danger of unwise acts and in order to develop in them the character necessary to be strong adults.
Love, not anger, produces the desired result in discipline.
Psalm 6:1 (KJV 1900) — 1 O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
Reminder: These devotions are excerpted from my book Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World: Proverbs. They do not reproduce the complete commentary, which is available at pentecostalpublishing.com and also as a Kindle download at amazon.com and as an Apple book (previously referred to as iBook)
[archive]
Proverbs 3:9–10 (KJV 1900) — 9 Honour the Lord with thy substance, And with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
Our substance is our possessions, all that we own. We should use everything we have in a way that brings glory to the Lord. We should honor the Lord in the way we use our home, automobile, clothing, technology, everything. We should specifically give the firstfruits of all our increase, or the tithe, to Him.
Genesis 4:4 (KJV 1900) — 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
Genesis 14:20 (KJV 1900) — 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Genesis 28:22 (KJV 1900) — 22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
Exodus 13:2 (KJV 1900) — 2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
Numbers 3:13 (KJV 1900) — 13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the Lord.
Deuteronomy 26 (KJV 1900) — 1 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and possessest it, and dwellest therein; 2 That thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth, which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place his name there. . . . 10 And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me. And thou shalt set it before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God: 11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house.
Malachi 3:8–12 (KJV 1900) — 8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. 11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 12 And all nations shall call you blessed: For ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts.
If we seek God first, He will supply our needs, and as a general principle, when we follow God’s plan of giving we can expect blessings even in this life.
Matthew 6:33 (KJV 1900) — 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
[archive]
Proverbs 3:8 (KJV 1900) — 8 It shall be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones.
A life lived in submission to the Lord is physically and spiritually beneficial. Conversely, a life lived without regard for the Lord is physically and spiritually detrimental.
[archive]