Reading for February 25th

Read Proverbs 29.14-27. In verse 15: As with domestic animals, a staff ("shebet" as in Lev 27.32; Zech 11.7; Ps 23.4) is needed to train and control children. Children (and animals) allowed to run free cannot learn. In verse 18: Prophecy and law are paired in Ezek 7.26 and Lam 2.9. In this saying prophesy has to do with community and law with the idividual. Though a people may be demoralized without credible national gudiance, an individual can still find happiness by heeding the instruction of teachers. In verse 24: An aphorism derived from the legal adjuration summoning witnessess to a crime, which is described in Lev 5.1. By not coming forward to tesitify one becomes an accomplice of the crimminal. Moreover, to get mixed up with a crime is to detroy oneself. Comments or Questions..