Pr. 11 for the 11th.

I’m sitting here waiting for the plumber to come and look at our closet to see why there is water dripping from the light in the closet! Anyway, while I waited I decided to look at today’s chapter from Proverbs (11 for the 11th). Thought I’d share my thoughts with anybody who is interested. Here is chapter 11 with my fleeting thoughts on the Proverbs there. More questions than answers, I’m afraid.
Proverbs 11 –
1 The LORD abhors dishonest scales, but accurate weights are his delight. Well, that makes sense to me

2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. A good thing for me to be reading right now because I’ve been getting very caught up with my weight loss – with fears about what if I don’t keep the pounds off… going nuts when I’m up a pound, rejoicing when I’m down a pound, making my weight a huge deal. It’s been really out of proportion over the past couple of weeks while I’ve been struggling with holiday food temptation, sometimes giving in and feeling horrible about myself, other times resisting and feeling as if that is saying something “good” about my character. It really boils down to being a pride vs. humility issue I think. I take too much pride in my weight loss and how I look now.

I also got to thinking about something I wrote in someone’s diary notes about “priding myself in being a Christian,” and got to thinking that was an odd way to put it. Do I really “pride myself in that?” I think it was a poor choice of words at the least, but maybe a Freudian choice that I need to truly think about because I don’t want to be my Christianity to be a source of pride; I want it to be a source of guidance.

3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. How true!

4 Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.
5 The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. 7 When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes; all he expected from his power comes to nothing. All good reminders about why following God’s guidance is a good idea for both this world and the next.

8 The righteous man is rescued from trouble, and it comes on the wicked instead. I have a little trouble with this one in light of the tsunami, mud slides, and every other horrible thing going on in this world. I guess maybe I don’t know how much worse it could have been for some of these people because I truly do believe there ARE fates worse than death, but geeze, I don’t know if I’d ever agree that the righteous are rescued from trouble – even looking at the holocaust. It sure doesn’t seem that way to me. Of course I guess there’s a difference between the word “rescued” and the word “spared.” Maybe death is a form of rescue.

9 With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, (THAT sure is true!)but through knowledge the righteous escape.

10 When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. 11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

12 A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. Many of us need THIS reminder!!

14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure. Yes, Mr. Bush.

15 He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe. Do not offer to co-sign for anyone ever again, Eryssa!

16 A kindhearted woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. 17 A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. 18 The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. 19 The truly righteous man attains life, but he who pursues evil goes to his death.

20 The LORD detests men of perverse heart but he delights in those whose ways are blameless. To me, this is the bottom line of God’s dilemma… we ALL really have perverse hearts and none of us have blameless ways, but HE loves us. It’s no wonder Jesus hasn’t come back. I think God just keeps on postponing the end of the world because maybe HE can’t bear to give up even one of us. I keep thinking about that because in the Bible I read about the things God detests… adulterers/esses, homosexuals, liars, those of perverse hearts. Shoot, we ALL know people like that and many of us fit in one or more of those categories. Chances are we care very much for somebody in one of those categories and, if given the choice, would not condemn those persons to hell. Now God loves us and our friends/family even more than we do so you can imagine the dilemma HE must face when thinking, “Well, shall I end the world today? I’m really sick of satan and lots of Christians are crying out to me to put an end to the evil going on down there… maybe today SHOULD be the day. Hmmm… but if I do that, so-and-so down there is going straight to hell and I just find her so lovable even though she is such a detestable sinner cheating on her husband like that. She’s confused and just doesn’t get it and I hate the idea of sending her into eternal fire. And Mr. so-and-so over there is so wrapped up in his new job and BMW, lies here, a little cheating there, but on the other hand he’s been helping out his parents and his brother and donated a lot of money to the tsunami victims. He’s trying to be a good person but doesn’t understand what good even IS. If I end the world today he’ll never get a chance to really find out. I think I’m going to have to wait a little longer. Just a little more time for this viperous generation. They infuriurate me but I just can’t send them to hell because I love them in their weakness and ignorance.”

I realize I’m taking a lot of imaginative liberty here. But HE set up rules… freedom of choice and HE cannot be in the presence of sin but HE loves us so HE ended up setting up HIS own dilemma. HIS love for us is HIS vulnerability.
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21 Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. Good thing we’ve got Jesus to be our righteousness.
22 Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion. I’ve always gotten a chuckle out of this one even though it is a serious proverb. It’s just that I have an envious heart (let’s be honest) of beautiful women. This sort of puts it in a better perspective.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good, but the hope of the wicked only in wrath. Motivation to keep your thoughts in order!,

24 One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25 A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Sometimes that seems true, sometimes it sure doesn’t. But, again, it doesn’t specify exactly WHEN. Maybe that means ultimately… like in the afterlife, because it sure doesn’t seem to always be the case in THIS life.

26 People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.I think this holds true in this world. On the other hand, we are pretty generous as a country and we still get cursed. We don’t really hoard our grain, do we? We share and sell and even give stuff away for free and we still get cursed. On the other hand, I have to admit, God has seriously blessed this country even if other countries have cursed us.

27 He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him who searches for it. hmm.. I’ll have to think about this one.

28 Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. I HOPE this is true because I may not be terribly righteous but, frighteningly, I’m probably more righteous than I am rich.

29 He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. That’s GOT to be referring to the next world because the second half of that one is not always true in THIS world!

30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

31 If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner! But they don’t… do they??