Proverbs 29

Now Proverbs 28 was really something.  I had to reread this one or at least parts of  it.  For example, the title of the first section is "If you desert God's law".   Now this title alone should make most of us want to read on.  If we do what????  Desert God's Law??  And of course, I really did not think it would pertain to me.  I am a good Christian.  But then I read it and once again, I needed to read this and take it to heart.  I have had to do a lot of soul searching throughout our time in Proverbs.

What about this statement?  "God has no use for prayers of the people who won't listen to Him".  What's with that?  Church, we have to start listening...and praying....and listening!

On to Proverbs 29
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If People Can’t See What God Is Doing

1For 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.

2When good people run things, everyone is glad,

but when the ruler is bad, everyone groans.

3If you love wisdom, you’ll delight your parents,

but you’ll destroy their trust if you run with whores.

4A leader of good judgment gives stability;

an exploiting leader leaves a trail of waste.

5A flattering neighbor is up to no good;

he’s probably planning to take advantage of you.

6Evil people fall into their own traps;

good people run the other way, glad to escape.

7The good-hearted understand what it’s like to be poor;

the hardhearted haven’t the faintest idea.

8A gang of cynics can upset a whole city;

a group of sages can calm everyone down.

9A sage trying to work things out with a fool

gets only scorn and sarcasm for his trouble.

10Murderers hate honest people;

moral folks encourage them.

11A fool lets it all hang out;

a sage quietly mulls it over.

12When a leader listens to malicious gossip,

all the workers get infected with evil.

13The poor and their abusers have at least something in common:

they can both see—their sight, God’s gift!

14Leadership gains authority and respect

when the voiceless poor are treated fairly.

15Wise discipline imparts wisdom;

spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.

16When degenerates take charge, crime runs wild,

but the righteous will eventually observe their collapse.

17Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did—

they’ll turn out delightful to live with.

18If 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.

19It takes more than talk to keep workers in line;

mere words go in one ear and out the other.

20Observe the people who always talk before they think—

even simpletons are better off than they are.

21If you let people treat you like a doormat,

you’ll be quite forgotten in the end.

22Angry people stir up a lot of discord;

the intemperate stir up trouble.

23Pride lands you flat on your face;

humility prepares you for honors.

24Befriend 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.

25The fear of human opinion disables;

trusting in God protects you from that.

26Everyone tries to get help from the leader,

but only God will give us justice.

27Good people can’t stand the sight of deliberate evil;

the wicked can’t stand the sight of well-chosen goodness.

Proverbs 28

This is unreal...we are almost finished with October and with Proverbs!  Proverbs 27 did not fail to amaze me with its wisdom and life-changing words.  I was most impressed with the second section that is entitled, "Your Face Mirrors Your Heart".  Each morning many women get up and prepare to leave home.  That ritual often involves putting on make-up of some sort.  It might be a full face or just a dab here or there.  And the men...they shave and often spend a great deal of time "looking presentable" as well.  We leave home and show the world our "face".  The sad thing is, our real face is what matters since that is what mirrors our hearts.  Read this Proverb and let God speak to you through this.  Here goes, Proverbs 28...Here we come!!!

On to Proverbs 28

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If You Desert God’s Law

1The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off

even when no one’s after them;

Honest people are relaxed and confident,

bold as lions.

2When the country is in chaos,

everybody has a plan to fix it—

But it takes a leader of real understanding

to straighten things out.

3The wicked who oppress the poor

are like a hailstorm that beats down the harvest.

4If you desert God’s law, you’re free to embrace depravity;

if you love God’s law, you fight for it tooth and nail.

5Justice makes no sense to the evilminded;

those who seek God know it inside and out.

6It’s better to be poor and direct

than rich and crooked.

7Practice God’s law—get a reputation for wisdom;

hang out with a loose crowd—embarrass your family.

8Get as rich as you want

through cheating and extortion,

But eventually some friend of the poor

is going to give it all back to them.

9God has no use for the prayers

of the people who won’t listen to him.

10Lead good people down a wrong path

and you’ll come to a bad end;

do good and you’ll be rewarded for it.

11The rich think they know it all,

but the poor can see right through them.

12When good people are promoted, everything is great,

but when the bad are in charge, watch out!

13You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it;

you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.

14A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life;

a hardhearted person lives a hard life.

15Lions roar and bears charge—

and the wicked lord it over the poor.

16Among leaders who lack insight, abuse abounds,

but for one who hates corruption, the future is bright.

17A murderer haunted by guilt

is doomed—there’s no helping him.

18Walk straight—live well and be saved;

a devious life is a doomed life.

Doing Great Harm in Seemingly Harmless Ways

19Work your garden—you’ll end up with plenty of food;

play and party—you’ll end up with an empty plate.

20Committed and persistent work pays off;

get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.

21Playing favorites is always a bad thing;

you can do great harm in seemingly harmless ways.

22A miser in a hurry to get rich

doesn’t know that he’ll end up broke.

23In the end, serious reprimand is appreciated

far more than bootlicking flattery.

24Anyone who robs father and mother

and says, “So, what’s wrong with that?”

is worse than a pirate.

25A grasping person stirs up trouble,

but trust in God brings a sense of well-being.

26If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure;

real survivors learn wisdom from others.

27Be generous to the poor—you’ll never go hungry;

shut your eyes to their needs, and run a gauntlet of curses.

28When corruption takes over, good people go underground,

but when the crooks are thrown out, it’s safe to come out.  

Proverbs 27

Have you ever wondered what not to do?  Or how God doesn't want you to appear as?  Well if you are wondering, please read Proverbs 26.  There are descriptions of people and characteristics of how not to act throughout that Proverb.  It spoke of gossiping, malice, and more.  One of my favorite metaphors was like putting, "glaze on cracked pottery" when we put good into someone who is not trying to be good or live the way God wants us to live.  Lots of rules...how many are you following??On to Proverbs 27
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You Don’t Know Tomorrow

1Don’t brashly announce what you’re going to do tomorrow;

you don’t know the first thing about tomorrow.

2Don’t call attention to yourself;

let others do that for you.

3Carrying a log across your shoulders

while you’re hefting a boulder with your arms

Is nothing compared to the burden

of putting up with a fool.

4We’re blasted by anger and swamped by rage,

but who can survive jealousy?

5A spoken reprimand is better

than approval that’s never expressed.

6The wounds from a lover are worth it;

kisses from an enemy do you in.

7When you’ve stuffed yourself, you refuse dessert;

when you’re starved, you could eat a horse.

8People who won’t settle down, wandering hither and yon,

are like restless birds, flitting to and fro.

9Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight,

a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.

10Don’t leave your friends or your parents’ friends

and run home to your family when things get rough;

Better a nearby friend

than a distant family.

11Become wise, dear child, and make me happy;

then nothing the world throws my way will upset me.

12A prudent person sees trouble coming and ducks;

a simpleton walks in blindly and is clobbered.

13Hold tight to collateral on any loan to a stranger;

be wary of accepting what a transient has pawned.

14If you wake your friend in the early morning

by shouting “Rise and shine!”

It will sound to him

more like a curse than a blessing.

15-16A nagging spouse is like

the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet;

You can’t turn it off,

and you can’t get away from it.

Your Face Mirrors Your Heart

17You use steel to sharpen steel,

and one friend sharpens another.

18If you care for your orchard, you’ll enjoy its fruit;

if you honor your boss, you’ll be honored.

19Just as water mirrors your face,

so your face mirrors your heart.

20Hell has a voracious appetite,

and lust just never quits.

21The purity of silver and gold is tested

by putting them in the fire;

The purity of human hearts is tested

by giving them a little fame.

22Pound on a fool all you like—

you can’t pound out foolishness.

23-27Know your sheep by name;

carefully attend to your flocks;

(Don’t take them for granted;

possessions don’t last forever, you know.)

And then, when the crops are in

and the harvest is stored in the barns,

You can knit sweaters from lambs’ wool,

and sell your goats for a profit;

There will be plenty of milk and meat

to last your family through the winter.