wormwood road

Posted on November 5, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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wormwood road

Proverbs 5:1-23 (JDV).

Proverbs 5:1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom; bend your ear to my understanding
Proverbs 5:2 so that you may maintain discretion and your lips safeguard knowledge.
Proverbs 5:3 Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her words are smoother than oil,
Proverbs 5:4 in the end she’s as bitter as wormwood and as sharp as a double-edged sword.
Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps head straight for Sheol.
Proverbs 5:6 She doesn’t consider the path of life; she doesn’t know that her roads are unstable.
Proverbs 5:7 So now, sons, listen to me, and don’t turn away from the words from my mouth.
Proverbs 5:8 Keep your road far from her. Don’t go near the door of her house.
Proverbs 5:9 Otherwise, you will give up your vitality to others and your years to someone cruel;
Proverbs 5:10 strangers will drain your resources, and your hard-earned pay will end up in a foreigner’s house.
Proverbs 5:11 At the end of your life, you will lament when your physical body has been consumed,
Proverbs 5:12 and you will say, “How I hated correction, and how my heart despised it when I was corrected.
Proverbs 5:13 I didn’t obey my teachers or listen closely to my instructors.
Proverbs 5:14 I am near complete ruin before the entire community.”
Proverbs 5:15 Drink water from your own cistern, water flowing from your own well.
Proverbs 5:16 Should your springs flow in the streets, streams in the public squares?
Proverbs 5:17 They should be for you alone and not for you to share with strangers.
Proverbs 5:18 Let your fountain be blessed and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.
Proverbs 5:19 A loving deer, a graceful doe — let her breasts always satisfy you; get lost in her love forever.
Proverbs 5:20 Why, my son, would you lose yourself with a forbidden woman or embrace a strange woman?
Proverbs 5:21 Because a man’s roads are before Yahveh’s eyes, and he considers all his paths.
Proverbs 5:22 A wicked man’s violations will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own failure.
Proverbs 5:23 He will die because there is no correction and be lost because of his great stupidity.

wormwood road

Two possible paths of sexuality. One leads to a lifetime of joy with one spouse, no sorrow, no shame. The other leads to shame in the assembly, the torment of body and mind, and early death. The problem is that the first option looks and sounds so tempting. The wise father’s advice is to stay away from the front door – don’t look, don’t click, don’t surf. Keep your way far from her.

LORD, give us wisdom to stay away from temptation.

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rules of the road

Posted on November 4, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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rules of the road

Proverbs 4:1-27 (JDV).

Proverbs 4:1 Listen, sons, to a father’s correction, and pay attention to know understanding,
Proverbs 4:2 because I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching.
Proverbs 4:3 When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother,
Proverbs 4:4 he taught me and said: “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live.
Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth.
Proverbs 4:6 Don’t abandon wisdom, and she will watch over you; love her, and she will guard you.
Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is first – so get wisdom. And whatever else you get, get understanding.
Proverbs 4:8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.
Proverbs 4:9 She will place a garland of favor on your head; she will give you a beautiful crown.”
Proverbs 4:10 Listen, my son. Accept my words, and you will live many years.
Proverbs 4:11 I am teaching you the way of wisdom; I am guiding you on straight paths.
Proverbs 4:12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered; when you run, you will not trip.
Proverbs 4:13 Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life.
Proverbs 4:14 Keep off the path of the wicked; don’t go straight on the road of evil ones.
Proverbs 4:15 Avoid it; don’t travel on it. Turn away from it and pass it by.
Proverbs 4:16 Because they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone trip.
Proverbs 4:17 They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
Proverbs 4:19 But the road of the wicked is like the thick darkest; they don’t know what makes them stumble.
Proverbs 4:20 My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings.
Proverbs 4:21 Don’t lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.
Proverbs 4:22 Because they are life to those who find them, and health to one’s whole body.
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, because it is the source of life.
Proverbs 4:24 Don’t let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don’t let your lips talk deviously.
Proverbs 4:25 Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
Proverbs 4:26 Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your roads will be established.
Proverbs 4:27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil.

rules of the road

When you are learning to drive, some of the advice you get sounds very much like Solomon’s wisdom for his sons. You need to turn the headlights on when it gets dark so that you can see and avoid all possible obstacles. You must pay attention to what is ahead of you, not straying your gaze to the right or left. You need to learn the rules because they will keep you safe.

The road we are on in life is an adventure, but without following the rules of wisdom, it can be a dangerous trap.

LORD, give us all the wisdom to be good drivers in life.

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Don’t be devious

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Don’t be devious

Proverbs 3:27-35 (JDV).

Proverbs 3:27 When it is in your power, don’t withhold good from the one to whom it belongs.
Proverbs 3:28 Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go away! Come back later. I’ll give it tomorrow” — when it is there with you.
Proverbs 3:29 Don’t plan any harm against your neighbor, because he trusts you and lives near you.
Proverbs 3:30 Don’t accuse anyone without cause, when he has done you no harm.
Proverbs 3:31 Don’t envy a violent man or choose any of his roads;
Proverbs 3:32 for the devious are detestable to Yahveh, but he is a friend to the upright.
Proverbs 3:33 Yahveh’s curse is on the household of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous;
Proverbs 3:34 He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble.
Proverbs 3:35 The wise will inherit honor, but he holds up fools to dishonor.

Don’t be devious

Intentionally bringing harm on others, or withholding good to them is detestable to Yahveh. He wants us to demonstrate his love, and when we choose another approach, we bring dishonor to him. God will mpt bless the home of someone like that, no matter how many wall hangings we have with Bible verses on them.

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the wisdom to pursue wisdom

Posted on November 2, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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the wisdom to pursue wisdom

Proverbs 3:13-26 (JDV).

Proverbs 3:13 Fortunate is a man who finds wisdom and who acquires understanding,
Proverbs 3:14 for she is more profitable than silver, and what she produces is better than gold.
Proverbs 3:15 She is more precious than jewels; nothing you desire can equal her.
Proverbs 3:16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left, riches, and honor.
Proverbs 3:17 Her ways are pleasant, and all her paths, peaceful.
Proverbs 3:18 She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who hold on to her are made fortunate.
Proverbs 3:19 Yahveh founded the land by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.
Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the watery depths broke open, and the clouds dripped with dew.
Proverbs 3:21 Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them.
Proverbs 3:22 They will be life for your throat and adornment for your neck.
Proverbs 3:23 Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble.
Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be pleasant.
Proverbs 3:25 Don’t fear sudden danger or the ruin of the wicked when it comes,
Proverbs 3:26 for Yahveh will be your confidence and will keep your foot from a snare.

the wisdom to pursue wisdom

My daughter, if you are looking for something to pursue, if you need a target for all of your life’s energies, let me suggest that you seek wisdom. If you aim for riches, you might gain them, and then find them not enough to satisfy. If you pour out yourself for a cause, even if it a good cause, you might succeed, and ruin your health doing it. Then, what good will you be to those who depend on you? Wisdom will never let you down. You will never find yourself saying “what a waste of time that was.”

LORD, give us the wisdom to pursue wisdom.

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keep him first

Posted on November 1, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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keep him first

Proverbs 3:1-12 (JDV).

Proverbs 3:1 My son, don’t forget my instruction, but let your heart keep my commands;
Proverbs 3:2 because they will bring you many days, years of living, and well-being.
Proverbs 3:3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Proverbs 3:4 Then you will find favor and high regard with God and people.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in Yahveh with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding;
Proverbs 3:6 in all your roads know him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes; fear Yahveh and turn away from evil.
Proverbs 3:8 This will heal your body and strengthen your bones.
Proverbs 3:9 Honor Yahveh with your possessions and with the first of your entire harvest;
Proverbs 3:10 then your barns will be filled, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Proverbs 3:11 Do not despise Yahveh’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe his reprimand;
Proverbs 3:12 because Yahveh sets the one he loves right, just as a father does the son with whom he is pleased.

keep him first

My daughter, look at the “celebrities.” They are popular and you might be tempted to be like them. But look at the mess they have made of their lives. They are not truly successful. If you want to be successful, here is the secret: cultivate your relationship with God. Fear him, follow him, trust him, honor him with your wealth, and when he disciplines you, do not reject him for it. That is the secret to true success, and you can live with it.

LORD, give us wisdom to keep you first in our hearts.

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haunted house

Posted on October 31, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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haunted house

Proverbs 2:1-22 (JDV).

Proverbs 2:1 My son, if you take my words and store up my commands within you,
Proverbs 2:2 listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding;
Proverbs 2:3 yes, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
Proverbs 2:4 if you pursue it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure,
Proverbs 2:5 then you will understand the fear of Yahveh and discover the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 2:6 Because Yahveh gives wisdom; from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
Proverbs 2:7 He stores up success for the upright; He is a shield for those who live with integrity
Proverbs 2:8 so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the road of his faithful followers.
Proverbs 2:9 Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity — every good path.
Proverbs 2:10 Because wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will taste good to your throat.
Proverbs 2:11 Discretion will watch over you, and understanding will guard you.
Proverbs 2:12 It will rescue you from the evil road — from anyone who says perverse things,
Proverbs 2:13 from those who abandon the right paths to walk in roads of darkness,
Proverbs 2:14 from those who enjoy doing evil and celebrate perversion,
Proverbs 2:15 whose paths are crooked, and whose roads are devious.
Proverbs 2:16 It will rescue you from a forbidden woman, from a wayward woman with her flattering talk,
Proverbs 2:17 who abandons the companion of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God;
Proverbs 2:18 because her house sinks down to death and her tracks to the land of the ghosts.
Proverbs 2:19 None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life.
Proverbs 2:20 So follow the way of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
Proverbs 2:21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those of integrity will remain in it;
Proverbs 2:22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous ripped out of it.

haunted house

I did not plan a Haloween themed devotional today, but it just so happened that I landed on this text. These are the words of a concerned father who wants his son to make wise choices in life. He encourages him to stay away from the forbidden woman. Her house sinks down to death, and if his son follows her tracks, it will lead to a land of ghosts. None return who go to her; none reach the paths of life.

I don’t celebrate Haloween, and I don’t encourage others to do so. Death is a serious matter to me. It is an enemy — an enemy my Lord is going to destroy.

But the image in today’s text is helpful because it reminds those who are tempted to go after an illicit relationship that there are dire consequences in doing so. She who has already abandoned her first companion and covenant will do the same again. Death is in her house. Avoid her. Don’t walk away. Run away.

LORD, give us the wisdom to stay away from those who transgress your boundaries.

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we can’t handle this

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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we can’t handle this

Proverbs 1:20-33 (JDV).

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom sings out in the street; she makes her voice heard in the public squares.
Proverbs 1:21 She cries out above the commotion; she speaks at the entrance of the city gates:
Proverbs 1:22 “How long, morally naive ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking and you fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 1:23 If you turn at my warning, then I will pour out my spirit on you and teach you my words.
Proverbs 1:24 Since I called out and you refused, extended my hand and no one paid attention,
Proverbs 1:25 since you neglected all my counsel and did not accept my correction,
Proverbs 1:26 I, in turn, will laugh at your calamity. I will mock you when terror strikes you,
Proverbs 1:27 when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you.
Proverbs 1:28 Then they will call me, but I won’t answer; they will search for me but won’t find me.
Proverbs 1:29 Because they hated knowledge, didn’t choose to fear Yahveh,
Proverbs 1:30 were not interested in my counsel, and rejected all my correction,
Proverbs 1:31 they will eat the fruit of their way and be full of their own schemes.
Proverbs 1:32 Because the apostasy of the morally naive will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
Proverbs 1:33 But whoever listens to me will live securely and rest securely from the dread of harm.”

we can’t handle this

We are introduced to four characters today, each of whom we will see developed in the chapters that follow: Wisdom is the voice calling in the streets. The others (the smorally naive ones, the mockers, and the fools) are the people who need wisdom, but choose to ignore her invitation. They are all idiots in the technical definition of the term. They need help from the LORD to live their lives rightly, but choose to ignore his help. They want to do it themselves. They each say “I can handle this.” So, when disaster comes, wisdom will say “you refused me then, I will refuse you now.’

LORD, we need your wisdom. Forgive us for being such idiots.

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ambush

Posted on October 29, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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ambush

Proverbs 1:10-19 (JDV).

Proverbs 1:10 My son, if sinners entice you, don’t be persuaded.
Proverbs 1:11 If they say — “Come with us! Let’s set an ambush and kill someone. Let’s attack some innocent person who does not deserve it!
Proverbs 1:12 Let’s gulp them down, like Sheol, whole, like those who go down to the Pit.
Proverbs 1:13 We’ll find all kinds of valuable property and fill our houses with plunder.
Proverbs 1:14 Throw in your lot with us, and we’ll all share the bag” —
Proverbs 1:15 my son, don’t travel that road with them or set foot on their path,
Proverbs 1:16 because their feet run toward evil, and they hurry to shed blood.
Proverbs 1:17 It is useless to spread a net where any bird can see it,
Proverbs 1:18 but they set an ambush to kill themselves; they attack their own throats.[1] Proverbs 1:19 Such are the paths of all who make profit unfairly; it takes the throats of those who own it.

[1] נֶפֶשׁ = throat, neck. Proverbs 1:18, 19; 2:10; 3:22; 6:26, 30, 32; 7:23; 8:36; 11:17, 25, 30; 12:10; 13:2, 3, 4, 8, 19, 25; 14:10, 25; 15:32; 16:17, 24, 26; 18:7; 19:2, 8, 15, 16, 18; 20:2; 21:10, 23; 22:5, 23, 25; 23:2, 7, 14; 24:12, 14; 25:13, 25; 27:7, 9; 28:17; 29:10, 17, 24; 31:6.

ambush

It sounds like there are some seriously unsavory gang members in Solomon’s time who only go around killing innocent people for profit. But a closer reading of this proverb shows that what the father is warning his son about is “all who make profit unfairly.” There are plenty of those kinds around in any age. What the father is telling his son is that such people are actually setting an ambush to kill themselves. To join them is suicide. They are on the wrong road.

LORD, keep us free from the pursuit of profit through cheating. Keep us off that path.

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open to correction

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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open to correction

Proverbs 1:7-9 (JDV).

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Yahveh is the first knowledge; fools despise wisdom and correction.
Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s correction, and don’t reject your mother’s instruction,
Proverbs 1:9 because they will be a wreath of favor on your head and pendants around your neck.

open to correction

The first rule of gaining wisdom is that you have to be willing to accept correction from others. Fearing God means bending my will to his will. Honoring my parents means listening to their instructions and adjusting my life to their correction. If I refuse to be open to changing my behavior on the basis of God’s word and my parents’ advice — I will not learn wisdom. I have no hope of getting the awards of wisdom if I refuse this first step in training.

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wisdom — by the book.

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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wisdom — by the book.

Proverbs 1:1-6 (JDV).

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
Proverbs 1:2 For knowing wisdom and training; for understanding insightful words;
Proverbs 1:3 for receiving successful training in righteousness, justice, and equity;
Proverbs 1:4 for giving cleverness to the morally naive, knowledge and discretion to a young man —
Proverbs 1:5 a wise person should listen and increase learning, and a discerning person should obtain guidance —
Proverbs 1:6 to understand a proverb or an allusive saying, the words of the wise, and their riddles.

wisdom — by the book.

If we want wisdom we should ask for it, but before we ask, we have to go through the first door. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD. It is just too comfortable to remain in ignorance and self-reliance. Do you dare to imagine that there is another entire universe where things can go right because we followed the right instructions? Dare to seek wisdom from the only one who can really give it?

LORD, give us wisdom.

But wait. He already has given us wisdom, right here in this dusty old book of Proverbs. Is it wisdom to avoid the gift we already have, and seek another? No, that would be something else. Gaining God’ wisdom is a process, not an event.

LORD, give us the patience to learn your wisdom — by the book.

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