September 4th, 2015
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Treasure Chest

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Opening Prayer

Loving Lord, I’ll stop trying to tame You, to control You. Instead, I will let You teach me about Your will and Your ways.

Read Proverbs 17:1-28

[1] Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife. [2] A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family. [3] The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart. [4] A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. [5] Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. [6] Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. [7] Eloquent lips are unsuited to a godless fool- how much worse lying lips to a ruler! [8] A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; they think success will come at every turn. [9] Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. [10] A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool. [11] Evildoers foster rebellion against God; the messenger of death will be sent against them. [12] Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool bent on folly. [13] Evil will never leave the house of one who pays back evil for good. [14] Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out. [15] Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent- the LORD detests them both. [16] Why should fools have money in hand to buy wisdom, when they are not able to understand it? [17] A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity. [18] One who has no sense shakes hands in pledge and puts up security for a neighbor. [19] Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. [20] One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. [21] To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool. [22] A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. [23] The wicked accept bribes in secret to pervert the course of justice. [24] A discerning person keeps wisdom in view, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. [25] A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him. [26] If imposing a fine on the innocent is not good, surely to flog honest officials is not right. [27] The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. [28] Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Meditate

To love a person means to accept them as they are, not to wait until they have gotten rid of all their faults.

Think Further

I traverse this chapter again and again, slowly. It seems so aptly described by George Herbert as “a box where sweets compacted lie.” I savor this twinkling wisdom: “Here comes Trouble bringing (not a peace-offering but) a strife-offering!” I note the other verses which touch on strife, quarrels, offense (4,9,11,13,19) and especially verse 14 which Derek Kidner described as: “Opening such a sluice lets loose more than one can predict, control or retrieve.”

I ponder the words on the heart (3,20,22); on words (4,7,9,10); on wealth (8,16,18) and the many verses on the fool, especially in the family; and the proverbs that highlight perversity, lies and deceit (4,7,11,15,20,23,26). Clearly the writer is well aware that we live in a crooked and broken world: while I want to be generous and compassionate, I also need to walk around with my eyes wide open. It is against the dark background of the two practices that God loathes in verse 15 that the good news of Romans 3:26 and 4:5 stands out with transcendent brightness.

Finally, I note the wisdom of this chapter on relationships, considering simultaneously my own relationships: the unworthy person (2); my attitude to the poor (5); the joy of family life (6), not to be taken for granted (21,25); the fire-extinguishing friendship (9); bureaucrats (11); the vengeful (13); the importance of attentiveness (24); and especially the friend or brother who is always there in the hardest times (17). The warp and woof of friendship requires threads going at right angles, making a strong weave. I pray that I may have and be a strong, true friend.

Apply

In what ways can you identify with the author’s experience of family strife (1), grief (21,25), disgrace (2) and pride (6)? How have those experiences played out for you?

Closing prayer

Father, show me new ways to strengthen the relationships in my life. I ask for great friends and the ability to be a great friend.

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