no escape

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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no escape

Jonah 1:1-16

Jonah 1:1 The word of Yahveh came to Jonah son of Amittai:
Jonah 1:2 “Get up! Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it because their evil has come up before me.”
Jonah 1:3 Jonah got up to run away to Tarshish from Yahveh’s presence. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from Yahveh’s presence.
Jonah 1:4 But Yahveh threw a great wind onto the sea, and such a great storm arose on the sea that the ship threatened to break apart.
Jonah 1:5 The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his god. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel and had stretched out and fallen into a deep sleep.
Jonah 1:6 The captain approached him and said, “What are you doing sound asleep? Get up! Call to your god. Maybe this god will consider us, and we won’t perish.”
Jonah 1:7 “Come on!” the sailors said to each other. “Let’s cast lots. Then we’ll know who is to blame for this trouble we’re in.” So, they cast lots, and the lot singled out Jonah.
Jonah 1:8 Then they told him, “Tell us who is to blame for this trouble we’re in. What is your business, and where are you from? What is your land, and what people are you from?”
Jonah 1:9 He answered them, “I’m a Hebrew. I worship Yahveh, the God of the sky, who made the sea and the dry land.”
Jonah 1:10 Then the men were seized by great fear and said to him, “What is this you’ve done?” The men knew he was running away from Yahveh’s presence because he had told them.
Jonah 1:11 So they asked him, “What should we do to you so that the sea will calm down for us?” Because the sea was getting worse and worse.
Jonah 1:12 He answered them, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea so that it will calm down for you, for I know that I’m to blame for this great storm that is against you.”
Jonah 1:13 Instead, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they couldn’t because the sea was raging against them more and more.
Jonah 1:14 So they called out to Yahveh: “Please, Lord, don’t let us perish because of this man’s soul, and don’t charge us with innocent blood! For you, Lord, have done just as you pleased.”
Jonah 1:15 They picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped raging.
Jonah 1:16 The men were seized by great fear of Yahveh, and they offered a sacrifice to Yahveh and made vows.

no escape

In my sermon on this text, I said “Jonah thought he could escape from the commission of the LORD. He traveled to Joppa and found a merchant ship heading to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard it to go with them to Tarshish because he thought that distance would be far enough away from the LORD for him to ignore his commission. It wasn’t. No place is.

Our God is omnipresent. We could get in a spaceship and go to the far reaches of the Galaxy, and we will not have traveled one inch away from God. He is everywhere. If he gives us a commission, there is no place we can go to escape from it. Guess what? He has given us a commission. He told us to go to every place on the planet and share his good news.

We cannot escape his commission by going somewhere, neither can we escape it by ignoring it. Jonah thought that if he just focused on going away, that he could ignore God’s command for him to go to the particular place of Nineveh.

Jonah did not like the Ninevites. He was convinced that they were not worth saving. But our God has compassion on us all, even though none of us is worth saving. He sent the storm that day to keep some pagan Ninevites. He also sent the storm because some pagan sailors needed to be saved.

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grace is for growing

Posted on December 10, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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grace is for growing

2 Peter 3:14-18

2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, cared for ones, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found spotless and blameless in his sight, at peace.
2 Peter 3:15 Also, think about how our Lord is patiently waiting to deliver us, just as our brother Paul (whom we also care for) has written to you according to the wisdom given to him.
2 Peter 3:16 He speaks about these things in all his letters. There are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable will twist them to their own destruction, as they do with the rest of the Scriptures.
2 Peter 3:17 Therefore, cared for ones, since you know this in advance, protect yourselves, so that you are not led away by the error of unprincipled people and fall from your own firm position.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and into that permanent day.

grace is for growing

Paul championed the biblical doctrine of salvation by grace. But Paul also encountered those who assumed that grace from God meant that sanctification didn’t matter. They would quote Paul in reference to the completed work of justification, but ignore what he said about perseverance. Peter warned against such an approach.

Salvation is not like buying a plane ticket and passively waiting in the terminal for the plane to arrive. But, even using that simile, we can see what Peter is talking about here. The Lord is piloting the plane. The pilot is actively flying the plane to the terminal. A pilot might say “these people have already bought their tickets, so they are secure. If he thought that way, he might not fly the plane at all. In that case, none of the passengers would get to their destination. Fortunately, the pilot does not act that way. He actively flies the plane to the terminal, so that the passenges can embark.

Peter tells his readers to do their part while The Lord is doing his. We are to “make every effort to be found spotless and blameless in his sight, at peace.” That is not passive; it is active. Grace is not for staying the same. Grace is for growing.

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one day

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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one day

2 Peter 3:1-13

2 Peter 3:1 Cared for ones, this is already the second letter I have written to you; in which I am seeking to wake up your pure understanding by way of reminder,
2 Peter 3:2 so that you recall the words previously spoken by the devoted prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your missionaries.
2 Peter 3:3 Be aware of this first of all: Mocking mockers will come in the last days, following their own evil passions,
2 Peter 3:4 saying, “Where is his ‘arrival’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.”
2 Peter 3:5 It will escape their notice that by the word of God the sky came into being long ago and the land came into existence from water and through water.
2 Peter 3:6 by means of which the world of that time was destroyed when it was flooded with water.
2 Peter 3:7 By the same word, the present sky and land are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
2 Peter 3:8 Cared for ones, don’t let this one fact escape your notice: With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not delaying his promise, as some think of slowness, but is being patient with you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed but wanting everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:10 But that day of the Lord will have arrived like a thief; on that day the sky will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the land and everything done on it will be disclosed.
2 Peter 3:11 Since all these things are to be demolished in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in devoted conduct and godliness
2 Peter 3:12 as you anticipate the day of God and hurry its arrival. Because of that day, the sky will be dissolved with fire, and the elements will melt from the burning heat.
2 Peter 3:13 But based on his promise, we expect a new sky and a new land, where righteousness is at home.

one day

Today is the ninth of December. It is only one day of many you have lived. You may be emotionally distraught this day, reeling from a loss you cannot understand. You may be excited and rejoicing this day, looking forward to all it offers. Or, this may be an ordinary day, passing without incident.

If you are without Christ today, today’s text is a warning. On a day like today, the universe was created by Almighty God. On a day like today, the old earth was destroyed by a flood. Most of its inhabitants were not ready, and were destroyed with it. On a day like today, another destruction will come — sudden and horrible.

Or, nothing significant may happen today because with the Lord, a thousand years is like a day. You may yet have time to return to your Maker and repent of your sins. You may have time to restore your relationship with him and with the others you have wronged.

Today might be your last ordinary day. How will you spend it?

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the false ones

Posted on December 8, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the false ones

2 Peter 2:1-22

2 Peter 2:1 But false prophets also happened among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will introduce divisive teachings, even denying the Master who bought them and will bring swift destruction on themselves.
2 Peter 2:2 Many will follow their depraved ways, and the truthful road will be maligned because of them.
2 Peter 2:3 They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.
2 Peter 2:4 Because if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but threw them into Tartarus and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment;
2 Peter 2:5 and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly;
2 Peter 2:6 and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly;
2 Peter 2:7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral ones
2 Peter 2:8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) —
2 Peter 2:9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
2 Peter 2:10 especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones;
2 Peter 2:11 however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord.
2 Peter 2:12 But these people, like irrational animals — creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed — slander what they do not understand, and at their destruction they too will be destroyed.
2 Peter 2:13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions while they feast with you.
2 Peter 2:14 They have eyes full of adultery that never stop looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed. Children under a curse!
2 Peter 2:15 They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who only cared about the wages of wickedness
2 Peter 2:16 but received a rebuke for his lawlessness: A speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
2 Peter 2:17 These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The utter darkness has been reserved for them.
2 Peter 2:18 Because by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error.
2 Peter 2:19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them.
2 Peter 2:20 Because if having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first.
2 Peter 2:21 Because it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the sacred command delivered to them.
2 Peter 2:22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and “a washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.”

the false ones

Having recommended the sure word given by true prophets to enlighten his readers in the dark age until Christ returns, Peter warns his readers that false prophets and heretical teachers will also lead people away from Christ. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them. Peter warns his readers not to follow them. They are on the path to sure destruction.

Just like the fallen angels who deceived the world during Noah’s time, and are now chained in Tartarus – a place of utter darkness — , awaiting judgment and destruction (4).
Just like the world who rejected Noah’s gospel – so saw destruction in the flood (5).
Just like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah (6-10).
Just like dogs returning to their vomit, or sows returning to wallow in the mire (22).

LORD, protect us from the words of those whose Christian profession is not genuine. They are heading for annihilation, and we do not want to join them.

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trust his word

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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trust his word

2 Peter 1:12-21

2 Peter 1:12 That is why I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have.
2 Peter 1:13 I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to wake you up with a reminder,
2 Peter 1:14 since I know that the removal of my tent is soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ has indeed made clear to me.
2 Peter 1:15 And I will also make every effort so that you can recall these things at any time after my exodus.
2 Peter 1:16 Because we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we told you about how our Lord Jesus Christ came powerfully; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
2 Peter 1:17 Because he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased!”
2 Peter 1:18 We ourselves heard this voice when it came from the sky while we were with him on the sacred mountain.
2 Peter 1:19 We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp when it shines in a dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
2 Peter 1:20 Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation,
2 Peter 1:21 because no prophecy ever came by human will; instead, people spoke from God as they were transported by the Sacred Wind.

trust his word

Peter had no doubt that the scriptures would be fulfilled – that he would see Christ come in his glory someday. He had, in fact, seen a supernatural preview of that coming attraction when he personally observed the transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36). If his readers had not yet come to their own spiritual “aha moment,” Peter encourages them to trust in the more sure prophetic word. It can serve as a lamp shining in their lives to keep them from stumbling – until the day (of Christ’s return) dawns. Then their hearts will know no confusion.

Trust the scriptures. They are the work of the Sacred Wind (Holy Spirit), not men. He will see to it that they are fulfilled.

LORD, we have not seen you on the mountain, but trust your word. What you say, you will do.

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confirming our election

Posted on December 6, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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confirming our election

2 Peter 1:3-11

2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through knowing him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
2 Peter 1:4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption in the world because of evil desire.
2 Peter 1:5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,
2 Peter 1:6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,
2 Peter 1:7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with care.
2 Peter 1:8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in knowing our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:9 The person who lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten the cleansing from his past sins.
2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election, because if you do these things, you will never stumble.
2 Peter 1:11 For in this way, entry into the permanent kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.

confirming our election

Lots of Christians take comfort in the fact that God has chosen (elected) them. Lots of other Christians are cautious about claiming to be elect because they know their own hearts. They want to avoid presumption, because they want to trust Christ, not themselves.

Peter speaks to every one of us here, whereever we are on the Calvinist/Arminian spectrum. He encourages his readers to confirm their election. How? By growing more Christ-like. The more we know about Jesus, the better chance we have of imitating him. The two specific attributes Peter mentions here are glory and goodness. Instead of challenging his readers to know they are safe because they are saved, he encourages them to possess Christ’s glory and goodness in increasing measure.

Every believer should be confident that he or she has been cleansed from past sins. Every believer should also strive to confirm his or her election by becoming more and more Christ-like.

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growing faith

Posted on December 5, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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growing faith

2 Peter 1:1-2

2 Peter 1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant of and a missionary from Jesus Christ: To those who have received a faith equal to ours by the righteousness from our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:2 May that favor to you and peace be increased by knowledge from God and from Jesus our Lord.

growing faith

Peter writes to a group of believers who already possess a faith equal to his. That is how faith works. It is a favor from God, and God gives it in equal measures. But Peter asks in his salutation that it will be increased. He is not asking for a more powerful faith. There is no such thing. So, what exactly is he asking for?

The source of the increase for which Peter is asking is knowledge. Peter will be sharing the gospel message once again with these believers. He trusts that this message will encourage and strengthen those who receive it. It won’t give them more faith, but he is asking God to make them more confident in that faith, so that they can pass it on to more people.

Peter was among the apostles who had asked Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5). Jesus told them that even a tiny faith is all that is needed. Faith is not like a gallon of gasoline. One gallon can only take you so far, then it is out, and you are walking. Faith is like a mustard seed. It may be small, but it will get larger if it is planted.

The people to whom Peter is writing don’t need a larger faith, or a stronger faith. They need to plant that faith where they are living. They need the confidence to share that faith with the unbelievers all around them. The knowledge that Peter shares in this letter will help them to do that.

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powerful wives

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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powerful wives

Proverbs 31:10-31 (JDV).

Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a powerful wife? She is far more precious than jewels.
Proverbs 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will not lack anything good.
Proverbs 31:12 She rewards him with good, not evil, all the days of her life.
Proverbs 31:13 She selects wool and flax and works with willing hands.
Proverbs 31:14 She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from far away.
Proverbs 31:15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and portions for her female servants.
Proverbs 31:16 She evaluates a field and buys it; she plants a vineyard with her earnings.
Proverbs 31:17 She draws on her strength and reveals that her arms are strong.
Proverbs 31:18 She sees that her profits are good, and her lamp never goes out at night.
Proverbs 31:19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff, and her hands hold the spindle.
Proverbs 31:20 Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.
Proverbs 31:21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all in her household are doubly clothed.
Proverbs 31:22 She makes her own bed coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Proverbs 31:23 Her husband is known at the city gates, where he sits among the elders of the land.
Proverbs 31:24 She makes and sells linen garments; she delivers belts to the merchants.
Proverbs 31:25 Strength and honor are her clothing, and she can laugh at the time to come.
Proverbs 31:26 Her mouth speaks wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle.
Proverbs 31:28 Her children rise and call her fortunate; her husband also praises her:
Proverbs 31:29 “Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all!”
Proverbs 31:30 Charm lies and beauty is temporary, but a woman who fears Yahveh will be praised.
Proverbs 31:31 Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

powerful wives

King Lemuel lived in a world (much like ours) where women were usually seen as objects to be used and looked at. His mother taught him better. She taught him to look for a powerful wife. Powerful wives do good for others: their husbands, their kids, the needy around them. They spend their lives not on vain things, but on helping others, because they fear the LORD.

LORD, give us the wisdom to find or be – powerful wives.

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not for kings

Posted on December 3, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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not for kings

Proverbs 31:1-9 (JDV).

Proverbs 31:1 The words of King Lemuel, an utterance that his mother taught him:
Proverbs 31:2 What should I say, my son? What, son of my womb? What, son of my vows?
Proverbs 31:3 Don’t spend your energy on women or your roads on those who destroy kings.
Proverbs 31:4 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to desire beer.
Proverbs 31:5 Otherwise, he will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed.
Proverbs 31:6 Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose throat is bitter.
Proverbs 31:7 Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more.
Proverbs 31:8 Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.
Proverbs 31:9 Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy.

not for kings

The advice that King Lemuel got from his mother is good advice for any of us who want to make a difference with the few days of life we have. We should not waste our time and energy on distractions that keep us from helping others. The dying and the embittered can search for life in these places, but not us kings. Instead, we should use our energy and time helping those who have no voice.

Of course, one could always claim to be in that number, and use this proverb as an excuse for wasting what little he has. Truth is, many of us are pretty short on talents. Which is precisely why we should not bury our one talent in the sand.

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Agur in the middle

Posted on December 2, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Agur in the middle

Proverbs 30:1-33 (JDV).

Proverbs 30:1 The words of Agur, son of Jakeh. The pronouncement. The strong man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:
Proverbs 30:2 I am more stupid than any other person, and I lack Adam’s ability to understand.
Proverbs 30:3 I have not gained wisdom and have no knowledge of the Holy One.
Proverbs 30:4 Who has gone up to the sky and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his hands? Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the land? What is his name, and what is his son’s name — if you know?
Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is pure; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Proverbs 30:6 Don’t add to his words, or he will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar.
Proverbs 30:7 Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die:
Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth; feed me the food I need.
Proverbs 30:9 Otherwise, I might have too much and deny you, saying, “Who is Yahveh?” or I might have nothing and steal, profaning the name of my God.
Proverbs 30:10 Don’t slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will become guilty.
Proverbs 30:11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.
Proverbs 30:12 There is a pure generation in its own eyes but not washed from its filth.
Proverbs 30:13 There is a generation — how haughty its eyes and pretentious looks.
Proverbs 30:14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land and the needy from among mankind.
Proverbs 30:15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!” Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough!”:
Proverbs 30:16 Sheol; a childless womb; the land, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, “Enough!”
Proverbs 30:17 As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures eat it.
Proverbs 30:18 Three things are too wondrous for me; four I can’t understand:
Proverbs 30:19 the road of an eagle in the sky, the road of a snake on a rock, the road of a ship at sea, and the road of a man with a young woman.
Proverbs 30:20 This is the road of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Proverbs 30:21 The land trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four:
Proverbs 30:22 a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
Proverbs 30:23 an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen.
Proverbs 30:24 Four things on the land are tiny, yet they are extremely wise:
Proverbs 30:25 ants are not strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer;
Proverbs 30:26 hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
Proverbs 30:27 locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks;
Proverbs 30:28 a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
Proverbs 30:29 Three things are stately in their stride; four are stately in their walk:
Proverbs 30:30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything;
Proverbs 30:31 a strutting rooster; a goat; and a king at the head of his army.
Proverbs 30:32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you’ve been scheming, hand to your mouth.
Proverbs 30:33 Because churning milk produces butter, twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife.

Agur in the middle

If you assume that the wise people of Solomon’s day were just arrogant know-it-alls, let me introduce you to Agur. He found the balance of godly humility (recognizing that he was low) with the desire for God’s wisdom (seeking great insight). He was not looking to increase his status. He didn’t want to become rich. He wanted just enough to keep himself from being distracted by excess or need.

LORD, give us the wisdom to be middlemen like Agur.

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