Family Foundations.

THE BOOK OF PROVERBS: MAY 2020 DEVOTION

An intricate analysis.

Shalom Family,
Thanks for accepting the call to corporately study and share. We will be doing one chapter a day. I encourage as many as can, to read, study, meditate and share a thought/s from your devotion. May the Lord bless our devotions. Key Verse: Proverbs 1:7 The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.

Proverbs 21

Day 21 .
Thur May 21 2020 23:59:59 GMT+0300 (East Africa Time)

Overview

Verses: 31
Theme: Various Wise Sayings
Lessons
✅ Verse 3 Righteousness Versus Sacrifice; Obedience Versus Sacrifice
We have been religiously been oriented to do more of sacrifice than to obey. As such we miss out on the reality that our being is more important than doing. Sacrifice is informed by doing while obedience is embedded in our being. From our being, what we do then becomes a righteous act more honourable than sacrifice.
✅ Verse 9 All husbands will plead the fifth amendment on this verse! 😁🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️
✅ Verse 13 Regard for the Poor
The poor have a special place in the heart of God such that if you shut your ear to their cry, no one will ever hear you when your time comes. Including God. That should spiritually whip us to be mindful of the poor.
✅ Verse 22 Wise Men Needed!
Sometimes you watch helplessly as the mighty, rich and corrupt continue their lives in impunity. Their ill gotten wealth is a stronghold that affords them protection from justice and accountability.
But even when Goliath is roaring and intimidating, God always has a man he has prepared. A man who can scale walls, run through troops, and bring down “trusted strongholds.” This is my prayer for my beloved Kenya. Amen.
✅ Verse 23 Guard Your Mouth and Tongue
Many will teach, coach, mentor, inspire, encourage etc on how to succeed in spaces of economics, commerce, arts and media, sports, religion, family life, politics, governance etc. Very noble indeed if we can have the righteous in such gates of influence.
But a kingdom child who will conquer such "mountains" has had one critical lesson: Conquering self! More so, how to handle the mouth and the tongue. All you need is to look at "influential" men and women who talk trash.
At a personal level, every trouble of life especially touching on relationships and or personal wellbeing can be traced to the reckless use of the mouth and the tongue (idle words). Something was said that "invited" trouble to a relationship and personal life. God helps us to guard our mouth and tongue. And we will know no trouble!
✅ Verse 25 A Lazy Man and His Desires
God has promised to bless the work of our hands, not our desires🙏🙃. The lazy man is full of longing but his hands refuse to work. Limb and mind must connect in order to find plenty.
✅ Verse 27 Acceptable Sacrifices
God validates giving by the condition of the heart more than the quantity and faithfulness in the giving. A wicked heart that faithfully gives only projects the multiplication of abomination. May God teach us to give from a pure heart. Amen.
✅ Verse 30 God’s Counsel is Infallible and Inerrant
There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the LORD. In other words, there is nothing in this world, no matter how clever, how intelligent, how factual etc, can countermand the counsel of God. If God says do not kill, even mercy killing such as euthanasia is certified as murder! If marriage is between a man and wife, no clever definition of gender and sex can alter God;s counsel on the matter. Selah.

Commentaries

Evelyn: Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own ways but the Lord weighs the heart. Beloved don't u know we should vow ur brothers pledge of debts. N in the most definete u think ur doing the right thing for him or her. Word of caution don't things right in ur own eyes but what is right in God's eyes. Selah
Obed Pastor: What is surprising is that we are more inclined to being seen as sacrificial rather than obedient.. We do a lot things in the name of sacrifice just to appeal to people.
To please people.
But rarely do we desire to obey in order to please God. 🙏 🙏
I am the first to repent. It happens a lot for ministers. You find that you are very keen to fast and pray before a sermon or ministry engagement but rarely do you have time for secret place devotion with no audience to minister to..
For those who actively serve in church, you find that corporate prayer is more than secret place devotion. 🙏 🙏
May God help us all to desire obedience (hearing and heeding the voice of God) more than sacrifice.
Moureen: Sema living the image and saying i have fasted and prayed and this is the word i heard from the Lord.😃 But i think God hujionea mambo ni venye He is merciful to us.
But pastor i think what you said, defeating self will benefit us so much.

Mrs Okello: Proverbs 21

Amen verse 25 &26
A lazy man craves for more but a righteous give Many times I've craved for the big big things I pray for wisdom
🤣🤣 hapo tumegongwa wamama. While it's true we shld learn from this verse if a man can preffer to live on a coner of a roof because of a quarrelsome of a woman then we shld seek peace in our homes than outside
It's happening more in the church than in the world.. Sm of us want to be recognised by the pastor ,sm are seeking for leadership

Ciruu Kiniti: Proverbs 21

V. 3 for me always comes up in my heart especially when I want to use a short cut at my work place. And CEV captures it this way “doing what is right and fair pleases the Lord more than offering”…the number of times I have been tempted to just mark exams blindly (because it is a lot of work) are many…after all no one is watching me…then God always reminds me, I am here, I AM watching!!
V.23 Guarding my mouth…ever in the process…but at least I am making progress. I am blessed deeply by V. 30-31 they demonstrate the might of the Lord. And it is pretty comforting especially in this season we find ourselves in or in any other situation where we desire a divine intervention!!

Moureen Proverbs 21

We are not without help especially concerning our leaders. We may not deal with them directly but when we pray God directs them for their heart is in the hands of God. Matters contentious woman i just will have to agree with the Lord. Wacha tucheze chini 😅 But i keep on wondering kwani this angry woman is angry out of nothing. Yani tu anakuja anacreate story and quarrels and this husband now afadhali akaishi kwa desert 😭

Nancy Tshay: Proverbs 21

Verse 2 hit me,we may choose various ways and in our eyes they are right atimes we would even use the word of God to justify ourselves.
Before other people we may also seem right they may even give us thumbs up and encourage us on how well we are doing.The Bible says but the Lord weighs the heart, before we even execute He already saw,He already know the motive,Infact He pretty well understands the motive.He knows whether it is right,He Has put our hearts on the weighing scale and He knows if what we are calling right is really right.Ooh how I desire that my paths will be guided of God that when He weighs my heart I'll be found right to Him,when He searches my heart it won't be found wanting.
Verse 23 also challenged me,He who guards his mouth and tongue guards his soul from troubles.Countless times we find ourselves in pits due to words that leave our mouths,we lie,we give empty promises,we encourage even when we don't mean it,we lie to get favours,we don't mind mean words leaving our mouths inorder to fit in.Our words sometimes have been so mean to cause heartaches,we've not selected what to say and what not to.The format is simple guard your mouth stay out of troubles!
.Wisdom begets treasure.
Obed Pastor: Sure. . Words can put you in undesirable pits!
Ciruu Kiniti: Mimi niombewe hapo pa words na niwekelewe mikono...kwanza pale Twitter yaani naskia lazima nichangie kila mjadala 😂😂woe unto that person if they are "guilty" in my eyes...jameni Mungu anisamehe.
Obed Pastor: hahaaaaa. .. I tell you.

Medina Bon: Proverbs 21

Question on Proverbs 21:4, what are 'haughty eyes'?
Proverbs generally has revealed me to me. There are a lot of things that I regarded as righteousness but are detestable in God's sight.
A foolish man's way are always right before him.
The Lord is continually changing my heart and my ways in this Book. I keep on highlighting and stopping to repent and pray for wisdom into my life. If there was a way I could eat this wisdom so that it is in me forever, I would. May I know God remains to be my steadfast prayer now.
Medina Bon: Hi brethren, please help me out:
What are haughty eyes? That is from Proverbs 21: 4
Ciruu Kiniti: Good morning. Sharing my thoughts briefly.
Obed Pastor: Good morning and shalom. Thanks for the questions... 🙏 🙏 May the Bible scholars come and answer.. 🙏😁
Ciruu Kiniti: 😂😂😂 I have even stopped typing my answer....scholar tena?? But I'll still respond 😂😂I am a learning scholar...
The ordinary meaning of haughty is blatantly proud, and so reading it in context of V.4 it means someone who has an extreme and arrogant proud look and looks down upon others.
Hapo kwingine niwachie mega archbishop 😂😂
Obed Pastor: The use of haughty in the text of Proverbs refers to a superiority complex where someone constantly looks down upon others.. 🙏
Obed Pastor: 🤭😁😁 Obed Pastor: Haughty is a variant of pride.. Also to disdain.
The writer of Proverbs is making an observation both at personal and societal level. In today speak, we can refer to individuals or groups such as tribes, races and or nations...
If we review and go back to our home/family conversations, you will note that you have more than once spoken in a "haughty" way towards another group of people - clan, tribe, race, nation etc..
🤣 🤣
Haughty eyes - when you see a kamba, luo, kikuyu, woman, man, Tanzanian, Ugandan, American, white person etc, what comes to your mind in view of how good, righteous, better YOU ARE...
Haughty begins from a sense of am better and from there you constantly devalue or place others lower than where you think you are.

Proverbs 21