Category Archives: Proverbs

Reading:
Proverbs 26:15-28

“Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth” (20).

That verse connected with me this morning because of last evening.

I was down.

I know part of it had to do with being sick with the flu several days and still feeling sick and run down. So I was more prone to dreary thoughts. And I got to thinking about the collapse of my calling or “ministry” or whatever. And about the trashing of my good name and standing. That led to struggling again with the talk that helped bring about said collapse and said trashing.

So I read that verse this morning. “Yeah, I know about talebearers!”

But eventually in my reading I got to this verse:

“Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein: and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him” (27).

“They’ll get their payback!” Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Then my thoughts took a more noble turn….

“What if I’m still in the trap set for me when the one who set it falls in beside me — what will I say and do? I guess I’ll be there for him in his time of need. Maybe I can encourage him. Maybe I can even help him out of the pit.”

Oh my!

[Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out (Proverbs 26:20)]
from Proverbs 26:20

A little bit more from Proverbs 26: Don’t Let It Get You Down

Reading:
Proverbs 26:1-14

Wow! This chapter has a dreary beginning, with eleven of the first twelve verses devoted to comments about the fool. As you might guess, none of the comments are positive. None are even merely neutral. To be a fool is bad, bad, bad.

At the end of that batch of verses, we find this one (which, come to think of it, does have a positive ring of hope for the fool, though not for being a fool):

“Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him” (12).

Whoa!

That being the case, deliver me from pride and all the self-exalting traits that accompany it!

(And also deliver me from being a fool.)

[The great God...rewardeth (Proverbs 26:10)]
from Proverbs 26:10

A little bit more from Proverbs 26: God Is Great