Reading for February 19th

Read Proverbs 26.13-26. In verses 13-16: Four sayings on the lazy person, whom Proverbs derides on the grounds that this type of person never acts. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 18th

Read Proverbs 26.1-12. In verses 4-5: Each saying makes sense in its own right. Taken together they show the problem, even the danger, that fools pose to their nieghbors. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 17th

Read proverbs 25.15-28. In verses 21-22: An enemy's vulnerability should not be made an occasion for settling old scores (so also Ex 33.4). Allow God's justice its proper scope (compare 20.22 and 24.17-18). Heap coals of fire on their heads alludes to no known practice. It may be hyperbole for punishment. Romans 12.20 cites the Greek version. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 16th

Read proverbs 25.1-14. Chs. 25-29: Proverbs of Solomon. In verse 1: An important clue to the composition and date of Proverbs. Hezekiah, who was king of Judah from 715-687 BCE, apparently ordered this collection added to an already existing Solomonic collection (perhaps chs. 10-22). In verses 2-3: The world is full of conundrums and puzzles, but the king is there to unravel them and lead people to serve the gods. The affinity between divine and royal wisdom is expressed by the repetition of the first and last word of each phrase (glory and things) and by the rhyme in God and king ("elohim" and "melakim"). In verse 7: see Lk 14.8-10. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 15th

Read Proverbs 24.23-34. In 24.23-34: Further words of the wise. A carefully arranged appendix to 22.17-24.22. Two areas of life, law (vv. 23-25, 28-29) and farming (vv. 27, 30-34), are used to illustrate the effects of wisdom in word and action. In verses 30-34: An illustative story, like those in 6.9-11, ch. 7 and Ps 37.35-36. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 14th

Read Proverbs 24.1-22. In verses 10-12: The probable meaning of the obscure admonition is that excuses for not aiding one's neighbor will be useless before the all-seeing God. In verses 17-18: Divine retribution works mysteriously. Human beings should stand aside and not anticipate its results. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 13th

Read Proverbs 23.1-28. In verses 1-3:Dining etiquette, especially moderation with food and drink, is a common topic in Egyptian instructions. Banquets were occasion for younger servants to advance themselves, and self-indulgence would leave a bad impression. In verse 1: Observe carefully what is before you reffers both to the food and the host. In verse 2: Put a knife to your throat: put your knife in your jaws rather than in the food, that is, restrain your appetite. In verses 6-7: Dont go to baquets when you are not invited or wanted. Though courtesy forces the host to say "eat and drink!", the words are insincere. The result will be indigestion and frustration for the unwelcomed guest. In verses 13-14; Hyperbole and sardonic humor are used to give advice on raising children. It is not disciplinary blows that will kill a child but uncorredted behavior that will lead to fatal consequences. The humor and hyperbole show the admonition does not espouse the corporal punishment of children. In verses 17-18: A warning against peer-group pressure, which is especially appilicable to the young. Why envy the wicked, for they have no future, no descendants? The warning is repeated in 24.1 and 19-20. In verses 22-23: The two commands in v. 23, buy truth and do not sell it, continue on ametaphorical level in the two commands in v. 22, listen and do not despise. Comments or Questions..