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Aug 21, 2023 06:00am

The Bible Recap: Days 155-161

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(The following are reflections from the writer’s personal journey through The Bible Recap by Tara-Leigh Cobble – a Bible reading plan to read the Bible chronologically in one year. To learn more about The Bible Recap, visit thebiblerecap.com. Find more posts from this series at lifeword.org/thebiblerecap.)

Day 155: Read Proverbs Chapters 4-6

My Takeaways:

“Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.”
Proverbs 4:23

Though Tara-Leigh said this verse refers to guarding oneself from bitterness and malice and eradicating these from our lives, I feel like this verse sums up today’s reading.

This dad, who is giving advice to his son, gives advice in several areas:

listen to your dad (LOL, I use this one too with my kids!)
live with wisdom—she will guard you
be understanding—she will exalt you
stay away from the path of the wicked—turn from it
walk in the light with the righteous
speak the truth
safeguard yourself from the adulteress—her feet go down to death
delight in the wife of your youth—be lost in her love forever
a wicked man’s steps will trap him and he will be lost because of his great stupidity (my Bible’s word, LOL)
be wary of lending money to neighbors
work hard-don’t be lazy!
stay faithful to your wife! Can you embrace fire and not get burned? Can you walk on coals and not scorch your feet? Stay away from the adulteress!

These are great areas to guard ourselves in and from! Our eyes and ears are open doors to our heart…and everything we do or say comes from our hearts. And dad here is giving some great advice to protect his son. Perhaps dad has seen this as he has grown up? Perhaps dad knows from experience? Either way, dad is trying to guard his son from making some bad decisions that could have lifelong consequences.

And finally, let’s talk about the word “hate”…

“The Lord hates six things….”
Proverbs 6:16

Growing up, my mom always told us to never use that word, but here we have it in Scripture, alongside God’s name! What is that all about?!

Yes, God is love…but God does hate sin. Tara-Leigh said, “God hates things that are an affront to what He loves.” That resonates so much to me. Here are the six things referenced:

pride
lying
murder
wicked scheming
a will to do wicked things
those who lie for others
those who stir up trouble in families

So, if God hates these…what does He love? He love the opposite of these sins. According to Tara-Leigh, He loves humility, honesty, innocence, justice, purity, righteousness, truth, peacemaking, and unity.

Haven’t you seen this already in God through our readings?!

Don’t you love that God still adopts us into His family despite these sins/our sins?! That we could fall into any of these types of sins and if we repent with a heart that means it, God forgives us!

So, yes, God does hate sin…but He forgives those who fall victim to it when they turn to Him and repent. He created a plan of salvation so that we don’t stay adrift from God and lost in our sin.

Jesus is coming.

Day 156: Read Proverbs Chapters 7-9

My Takeaways:

Oh, today’s reading was an insightful way to look at temptation and wisdom! The writer of Proverbs, perhaps Solomon, uses personification to show us the power of temptation and the power of wisdom in our lives. He writes these chapters as a father who is warning his son about answering the call of a seductress. He urges him, begs him really, to resist that call and to respond to the call of another woman, personified: wisdom. He is passionate for his son to avoid the trap of the seductress. Maybe he’s learned the lesson the hard way? Or, maybe he sees his son drawn to her voice? Either way, he’s passionate to warn him.

And, it made me think about those two voices, and those battles, we all have inside of us. It reminds me of that Native American folktale that talks about a boy having a great internal battle within him that he compares to two wolves engaged in a battle. One wolf is evil and the other wolf is good. You see, the boy wanted to do good but was drawn to those evil impulses. He asked his grandfather a question he was desperate to know the answer to: “Which wolf will win?”

The grandfather said something powerful: “The one you feed.”

Friends, how true is this? The voice we give attention to, that we think about, that we turn to, that we listen to—that’s the one we feed. And it will grow stronger and stronger, gaining control over us. This could be a good thing when we listen to the voice of wisdom…or it could be a ruinous thing when we listen to the voice of the seductress. You see, the voice of the seductress can represent any temptation we have.

Maybe its sexual sin.

Maybe its food.

Maybe its gossip.

Maybe its bitterness.

Maybe its offense.

Maybe its ______ (insert your thing).

Whatever your kryptonite is, it—like the seductress—calls to you. It sounds super tempting. In our reading, the seductress said all the right things and did all the right things that would make it really hard for the young man to resist.

That’s kind of how sin is. It looks appealing. It sounds right. It’s persistent. It’s flattering. But, it leads us down a dark path.

In Chapter 8, wisdom calls out and offers beautiful things: truth, righteousness, knowledge, shrewdness, good advice, understanding, strength—treasures for the young man. Treasures for any of us.

And even though we know it’s smarter to answer the voice of wisdom—it can be so hard when the voice of temptation is loud and says all the right things.

But, it wants to ruin us, friends. It wants us to turn away from God. It wants to take us down a path we can’t recover from. It wants to weaken us. It wants us to doubt God and His goodness.

Feed the voice of wisdom, friends. Wisdom is a gift and only God can give us this gift. The closer we grow to Him, the more we love and respect Him. The more we grow to fear Him. Proverbs 9:10 says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Wisdom comes from knowing God and following Him in obedience. It’s obeying that still, soft voice of the Holy Spirit when it says: “This is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)

Let’s be willing to feed this voice, friends!

And, the other voice? Let be brave and starve it. We’ll never be able to kill it, but we can weaken it. Get your favorite Bible verse, ladies, and go to battle. Say it, pray it, walk it out in faith—strength will come.

Because, we have places to go and a purpose to fulfill. Wisdom is calling, friends. Let’s answer her.

Day 157: Read Proverbs Chapters 10-12

My Takeaways:

Wow! There are so many directions to go with all of these proverbs! Since “wisdom” has been a theme for us, my eyes gravitate to any proverbs that talk about it. There were also many proverbs that spoke about the power of our words.

Again, Proverbs is full of insightful, godly advice (not necessarily God’s promises). So, let’s lean into what Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, has to share.

Let’s start with wisdom—look at all the beautiful benefits to growing closer to the Lord and reaping His gift of wisdom:

a wise son brings joy to his father (yep, I see that)
a wise heart accepts commands—he does what he is told
wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning
the wise store up knowledge—they don’t tell everything they know
a person with understanding controls his tongue
the tongue of the wise beings healing
the wise don’t make a show of their knowledge

Oh, I especially love the plugs to obedience, humility, and self-control.

I am going to give a few shout-outs to some verses that I have used with my kiddos when they struggle making the right decision:

“Lying lips are detestable to the Lord.”
Proverbs 12:22a

Kids don’t connect God to the word “hate”—this is one of those times I share that God does hate “sin”—He cares so much about it, He sacrificed His son for it so that we, who mess up often, can get forgiveness every time we cave into lying (or whatever sin it may be).

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but the one who hates correction is stupid.”
Proverbs 12:1

Anytime my kids want to argue a punishment/consequence, I use this verse. I told them this is the Bible’s translation-not mine! It gets their attention, LOL.

And the one that always gets me when I hear it:

“When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent.”
Proverbs 10:19

I talk a lot while teaching. I type a lot here in these posts. The room for error is broad and, according to this verse, because I talk a lot, I am going to sin—whether it’s exaggeration/lying, misinformation, being wrong, or not listening to others. Personally, I struggle much with that fine line of listening and controlling my lips.

As someone who talks for a living, it’s something I have failed much in and have to remind myself often of.

Day 158: Read Proverbs Chapters 13-15

My Takeaways:

We had more proverbs to read and more insight on lady wisdom! Here’s what grabbed my eye on wisdom today:

a wise son responds to his father’s discipline
wisdom is gained by those who take advice
a wise person’s instruction is a fountain of life that helps save others from traps
the one who walks with the wise will become wise (I love this one!)
every wise woman builds her house (I looked this up—the NCV translation words it as this: “A wise woman strengthens her family.”)
the sensible person’s wisdom is to consider his way (I checked out other translations on this. I liked the NIRV: “People are wise and understanding when they think about the way they live.” I love this self-reflection!)
a wise person is cautious and turns from evil
a crown of the wise is their wealth (I think this is one of those areas that Tara-Leigh points out isn’t a promise of God’s)
wisdom resides in the heart of the discerning… she is even known among fools (wisdom gets attention—even the foolish see it!)
the tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive
the lips of the wise broadcast knowledge
a discerning mind seeks knowledge
a wise son brings joy to his father
the mind of the righteous person thinks before answering (I love this one! I also struggle with this one.)
one who listens to the life-giving rebukes will be at home among the wise (In other words: “If you pay attention when you are corrected, you are wise.” (GNT))
the fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches, and humility comes before honor (the NIRV says this: “Wisdom teaches you to have respect for the Lord. So don’t be proud if you want to be honored.”)

You know, all these proverbs about wisdom give me wisdom about what wisdom looks like! (How many times can you use “wisdom” in a sentence?)

If it’s mentioned once in the Bible, it’s important. If it’s mentioned twice, it’s really important. If it’s all throughout out a book in the Bible, it’s vital. We, as believers, need to take note of what God, through Solomon, is saying about wisdom.

God is the giver of wisdom. To partake of this gift is to partake of the Giver. To reap this gift, we must lean into its Sower. He is where His wisdom is, and He is where the joy is!

Day 159: Read Proverbs Chapters 16-18

My Takeaways:

Let’s do today a little different! I read Proverbs 16-17 (I didn’t even get to Proverbs 18 yet!) and got so many nuggets of wisdom from it! I looked at different translations and learned more about these verses! I want to talk about all of them…but I can’t! I have to keep it short today.

So, let’s do today like this: I’m going to share with you a couple of verses that I loved today, that spoke to me or that I saw differently/learned a little more about.

1. “A friend loves at all times, and a brother was born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)

I learned something new today. I had always thought this meant that friends love you no matter what, even when family gives you strife.

Lol, that is not what it means.

I looked up different translations and here’s what it means:

“A friend loves you all the time, and a brother helps in time of trouble.” (NCV)

I love this! A family is there to share the trouble and the load of life. Friends are wonderful, but families stick together in all kinds of trouble. And I love how I was wrong! If you look around the world, we can see the opposite of this…families seem more in strife than ever. But, God created families to do life together, through thick and thin.

2. And the one that grabs my heart is this one:

“A crucible for silver and a smelter for gold, and the Lord is the tester of hearts.” (Proverbs 17:3)

Silver and gold are tested by fire but our thoughts are tested by the Lord. Isn’t that what we’ve learned about during this journey? It’s all about our heart! What we ponder in our heart and minds will come out in our words and actions. It will prove our faith genuine or refine us when we falter and fail. Either way, God uses these times to grow us. He uses these times to build trust. He uses these times to teach us His wisdom (Proverbs 16:23). He uses these times to instruct our mouths, instilling patience and self-discipline (Proverbs 17:27). He uses these times to reveal joy in the hardest of situations because “a joyful heart is good medicine”! (Proverbs 17:22)

I also loved reading about the sovereignty of God in Proverbs 16:1-4! Though it may look dim/dismal/discouraging, God is in control and is working good from all things!

Day 160: Read Proverbs Chapters 19-21

My Takeaways:

“Even zeal is not good without knowledge…”
Proverbs 19:2

This verse.

Years ago, my preacher told me this verse and it changed everything!

You see, my husband and I just had gotten back into church after being out of church for many years. When we joined our current church, my heart was lit on fire for each week’s sermon—I loved it! After six months, God clearly spoke to me about teaching God’s Word. It was a call in my life that I will never forget. It was one of those times God spoke clearly to me in my heart and mind.

But, the thing was this: all I knew about the Bible were stories I had learned about growing up in Sunday School! I thought to myself: “How in the world am I going to teach God’s Word when I don’t know anything about it?!” I was embarrassed to tell anyone.

After another six months, I decided to do something about it. I wanted to read God’s Word but I didn’t know how to. Where do I begin?! I shared my passion to be in ministry with my preacher and he shared Proverbs 19:2. He told me I had passion and zeal—that was great! But, I needed knowledge—I needed to know more about God, His Word, and my faith. As eager as I was, I could be talked out of my faith if I didn’t know why I believed.

In other words, I needed to know God.

And so I began in June of 2011. I began reading the book of John…and I fell in love with Jesus.

Friends, this is what we are doing—we are adding to our knowledge about God, His son, and His word. Don’t you find that it adds zeal to your walk with Him? Are you eager to open up your Bible to see what you will learn about Him today? Our knowledge fuels our zeal!

Because without knowledge, we could be like the seed, in the parable of the sower, that is plucked up by birds or dried up in the sun—we wouldn’t have roots. We could be talked into ideas like “If God is so good, then why did He allow _____” or “I am a good person—why do I need a Savior?” or “I don’t need God—I just need to speak positive affirmations over myself and I am good” or even “God’s rules are lame. I am doing just fine living like everyone else.”

We would be susceptible to believing the world’s lies if we didn’t have knowledge about God. Oh friends, I am thankful to be on this journey with you! I hope your knowledge adds to your zeal and passion each day! I hope you know more about God’s character! I hope you know more about how much love and grace and mercy He shows us!

Because He is truly where our heart is, where our hope lies, and where the impossible thrives…

He is where the joy is.

Day 161: Read Proverbs Chapters 22-24

My Takeaways:

Alright, friends, what nuggets of wisdom did you love today?!

We continue to see deep themes of the following:

Discipline is good for us!
Fear God—it will give you life and a future. (Proverbs 23:17-18)
Listening to the wise. (like your parents! Or, the king)
Humility is valued by God.
Seek wisdom—it gives you hope and a future. (Proverbs 24:14)
Be honest-it’s like a kiss on the lips! (Proverbs 23:26, 28)

And today added some newer themes:

Beware of alcohol and its effects on us. (Proverbs 23:29-35)
Wisdom is better than strength. (Proverbs 24:5)
God helps us when we fall—we will rise amid the trouble in life. (Proverbs 24:16)
Live out your faith amid difficult times. (Proverbs 24:10-12)
Don’t gloat when your enemy falls—don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, or else the Lord will see and be displeased. (Proverbs 24:17-18)
Stay away from the angry, the drunkards, and the gluttons (Proverbs 23:19-21, Proverbs 22:24-25)

Here’s the verse that spoke to me most today:

“If you do nothing in a difficult time, your strength is limited.”
Proverbs 24:10

The ICB translations gives us more insight: “If you give up when trouble comes, it shows that you have very little strength.”

I heard a sermon this week that says this: we don’t do strong things because we feel strong…we get strength when we walk in faith amid our weakness—it is then we get God’s strength! We are called to live out our faith amid the hard times in life, friends—to continue being the salt and the light. It may very well rescue the lost and wandering who need to see that there is hope for them.