Disturbing the World

“For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire compares with her.” – Proverbs 8:11 The whole of Proverbs 8 celebrates the value of wisdom. In fact, wisdom speaks directly in this chapter to plead her case. No matter what else you might think to be important – wealth, power, fame – none of these happen in any real way without real wisdom. No matter what your desired destination might be, you need to start off in the right place, and that’s with wisdom at your side guiding your steps. Where we spend our time, our most precious commodity, is the best indicator of what we deem to…

“Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.” – Proverbs 7:2-3 If you’re a fan of the Christmas movie It’s a Wonderful Life, you might remember the scene where George Bailey’s beleaguered Uncle Billy is shown with several strings tied around his fingers. The idea is that each string is there to remind him of something important. This image has also appeared in many other places in popular culture including children’s cartoons. We don’t see it so much now that we’ve moved into the age of sticky notes and phone reminders.…

“The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.” – Proverbs 5:22 The whole fifth chapter of Proverbs is a warning against entanglement in sexual sin. We all know of men who have had their entire life’s work in ministry invalidated by being caught in that particular trap. I would assume it’s no picnic for the women involved either. Even if you don’t have your face on the cover of magazines, or your byline in a famous publication, or a worldwide gospel ministry, the tragedy of this particular brand of sin takes a terrible toll. Marriages, relationships and family ties are shattered. In many…

“Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.” – Proverbs 4:26 A few years ago, I had the unfortunate experience of tearing the retinas in both of my eyes. They didn’t both tear at once. The second one tore about two weeks after the first. The tears themselves weren’t painful, just bizarre. A large black ribbon of blood suddenly floated into my field of vision. I was driving when the first one went and it was a truly strange experience to no longer be able to see properly in one eye. After a rather futile examination in the local Emergency Room – they just…

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” – Proverbs 3:5 Some people act like they know all there is to know. Quick to speak out in any group, with a condescending attitude designed to make everyone around them feel stupid, they are pleased to pontificate upon any petty provocation. It’s hard to imagine, but sometimes we can be this way around God. We protest his decisions. We roar against the setbacks we experience. We cry and complain over every little thing that doesn’t go our way. As if we could do better at running the universe. Better than God? Who do we…

“Let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.” – Proverbs 1:5-6 What kind of person places a high value on wisdom? What kind of person is willing to read and study to gain understanding? Someone who is wise already, of course! Jesus put it this way: “Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.” – Luke 8:18 A key characteristic of intelligent people is that they understand that there is…

A wife of noble character, who can find? She is far more precious than rubies. – Proverbs 31:10 (BSB) Proverbs 31 consists mostly of a description of the ideal virtuous woman. The bottom line is that she is precious beyond the value of rubies. How much does our culture value virtue these days? There is a range. Some folks place a higher value on what most of us would consider traditional virtues. Others seem to have redefined the concept of virtue altogether and even, in some cases, turned it completely on its head. We seem to have lost any notion of consensus on the matter. If goodness is arbitrary, a…

Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion. Otherwise, I may have too much and deny You, saying, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, profaning the name of my God. – Proverbs 30:8b-9 Our society is heavily tainted by the idea that more is better and newer is more valuable than older. It keeps us trapped, forever replacing the old and buying new. We are crippling ourselves with debt and destroying our relationships just to have the latest and greatest gizmo or gadget. Our appetite for newness have become so inflated we have lost the ability to discern…