How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver! – Proverbs 16:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 31, 2025): Proverbs 16

Wisdom is better than gold. Do you believe that? I am confident that, if given that choice, we would choose the gold. Or maybe I can rephrase the Proverb. Gaining wisdom is preferable to winning a lottery, even one with a billion-dollar prize. Does that come a little closer to impacting the place where you live? I won’t ask how many lottery tickets you have purchased for the next lottery or for a recent draw that you have not yet checked. But you have dreams. If I could just win the lottery, then everything would be okay. You have plans. Perhaps it is the house you want to buy, or that new Corvette (the latest Corvette is my lottery dream). Or maybe it is just to retire early and travel the world, spending the cold winter months somewhere warm. I have a friend who retired during the winter months, and the first thing he did was to leave for a month in Puerto Vallarta. When it is minus thirty or worse at home, Mexico sounds like a good idea.

So, is wisdom better than winning the lottery? Really? Here is where the rubber hits the road. Do you spend more of your time trying to become a person of wisdom than you do making money or even buying and checking lottery tickets? And I am guessing if you are honest with yourself, the answer is no.

Many years ago, I was challenged to memorize at least one verse of Scripture for every year I have lived. It isn’t a big ask. One verse for every year that you lived. As Christians, we say that we base life decisions and the choices we make on Scripture, yet I wonder whether we have memorized one verse for every decade we have lived, let alone one verse for every year. How is that possible? How can we make wise decisions if we don’t know the book upon which our wisdom is based?

I am convinced that wisdom is the basis for life. And it is the basis for our relationship with money. That is part of the reason why I believe that the tithe seems to be important to God. The tithe stresses that money is a tool. We give to the church because trusting God and doing what he says is the beginning of wisdom. And we can’t handle money unless we have wisdom.

In 2005, a Television network (Showtime) conducted a social experiment. The idea was “what would happen if a homeless person were given a million dollars?” What would the person do with that kind of money? Would the money have a long-term effect on the person's life? Cue someone singing the Barenaked Ladies hit, ‘If I had a million dollars.”

They pitched the idea and received some resistance. A million dollars is substantial. In the negotiation, the idea for the documentary was approved, but the amount they were going to give the homeless person was reduced to $100,000.

A briefcase with $100,000 was given to Ted Rodrigue. It took a little convincing. Ted was afraid that the whole thing was a setup. That somehow it might be illegal; that his new friends were trying to trap him. Eventually, he accepted the money on the condition that a camera crew follow him and document what happened to the money.

At the time that Rodrigue received the 100k, he was 45 years old and had been homeless for two decades, surviving on around $20 a day by collecting cans and bottles. Ted was given a financial advisor but was told that he was totally in control of what he did with the money.

After starting slowly, treating himself to a new bike and a room at a motel, Ted's spending quickly spiraled out of control as he began spending lavishly and ignoring his financial advisor's advice. After helping some of his homeless friends, Ted became increasingly popular with women (including one whom he would briefly marry), but soon grew resentful of the unwanted attention.

Next, he found himself reconnecting with his estranged family, who appeared genuinely willing to help him. His sisters even made phone calls on his behalf to help him find work in something he liked, such as construction.

Ted, however, didn't appreciate their efforts; he didn’t like their attempts to meddle in his life, as he saw it. He dismissed their concern and even refused to continue meeting with his financial advisor, believing that he merely wanted his money like most others.

Ted eventually revealed that he had no intention of finding work, believing that the $100,000 would last him for the rest of his life, and began spending even more lavishly, including $34,000 on a new truck and leasing a luxury apartment.

In no time at all, the money was gone, and Ted was right back where he started. He had blown through the entire amount in just over 6 months and was once again homeless. Rodrigue commented, “You never think ... 'the money's going to run out sooner or later.'"

It isn’t just Ted that struggled with money. Studies have shown that Lottery winners often go broke within 3-5 years. Several years ago, I was counselling a couple, and we got on the subject of money and big-ticket items. Somehow, we got on the topic of retirement and retirement plans. Then the male in the conversation admitted that he had been raised in a household that spent every penny that came in. But Mom and Dad had a retirement plan. They had good jobs and paid $100 per week on Lottery Tickets. They planned to retire as soon as they won the big jackpot. I hope that it happens, but chances are it won’t. And Mom and Dad might not have the wisdom to handle the money if their ship does eventually come in.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 17

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. – Proverbs 15:18

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 30, 2025): Proverbs 15

I love the story of Gideon, and yes, the name means more than just the name of the Bible that you might find in a hotel room. The story of Gideon begins with Gideon threshing wheat in a winepress. The problem was that the grain needed to be threshed or cleansed of its husks. However, the Midianites, Israel's enemies, were known for attacking farmers after the harvest had been taken from the fields, stealing the grain and making it their own. So, Gideon was threshing the wheat in a winepress. Threshing the wheat meant throwing the wheat into the air and allowing the breeze to carry away the lighter husks while the heavier seeds fell back to the ground. But in a winepress, there is no breeze; threshing wheat in a winepress is just a recipe for getting really dirty, and not accomplishing much more. But there was Gideon, threshing his wheat in a winepress. That is where the angel finds him and addresses him. “Greetings, mighty warrior, the Lord is with you” (Judges 6:12 paraphrased). It must have been a hilarious scene. Gideon cowering in a winepress when this angel appears and addresses him as a mighty warrior.

Gideon’s reaction to the angel was, “If God is with us, then why am I threshing grain in a winepress?” The angel’s reply? “Go in the strength that you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.” Gideon picked up on the word strength. My clan is not strong. My clan is the weakest in my tribe, and I am the least in my family. But Gideon heard the angel and followed the instructions he had received despite his weakness. Gideon went in what strength he possessed and raised an army. After building his army, God appeared to Gideon twice to tell him that it was too large. Twice, God whittled down Gideon’s 32,000 warriors until only 300 remained. But with those 300 warriors, Gideon routed the Midianites, and all of Israel was thankful for Gideon. Well, maybe not. Life seldom works that way. The warriors of the Tribe of Ephraim were not impressed that they were not invited into the battle. (Remember, it was God who had limited the size of Gideon’s army.)

Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously (Judges 8:1).

But it is Gideon’s answer that is important.

But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided (Judges 8:2-3).

Gideon’s answer was a great example of a gentle response. There are a lot of ways that Gideon could have responded. He could have even allowed his anger to color his response. But he decided not to let anger dictate his behavior.

It is something that, as Christians, we need to learn. It is easy to respond with anger. It is easy to allow anger to drive our emotions higher and higher, but that is not our way. We need to be experts of the gentle answer.

Gideon's gentle response cooled the temperature. In the story of the ascension of Rehoboam to the Throne of Israel, the young King was confronted by representatives of the tribes who sought to reduce the burden that Solomon had unwisely imposed on them. But instead of the gentle answer, Rehoboam’s harsh words stirred up the anger of the people against Israel. Seventeenth-century Anglican Bible Commentator John Trapp (1601-1669), who is known for his short, pithy sayings, summed up this moment well. “Rehoboam, with one churlish breath, lost ten tribes” (John Trapp).

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel (Proverbs 15:18). Rehoboam stirred up conflict, while Gideon’s patience calmed the quarrel.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 16

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. – Proverbs 14:29

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 29, 2025): Proverbs 14

Over the past few years, I have participated in a denominational discussion. What I mourn on both sides of the argument is the lack of understanding. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, it seems that only retribution exists. I believe we should exist somewhere in the middle, between the two extremes of the argument. And my belief has always been that as Christians, regardless of what the issue might be, we need to seek understanding of the other. We need to speak to each other, not to convert, but just to understand where the other stands on the issue. But understanding never follows anger; in fact, anger blocks understanding. And right now, in my denomination or association of churches, it seems that all we have is anger.

We are Baptists. At the heart of our Baptist roots is the belief that we should be non-creedal. It doesn’t matter how good the creed might be. We know from our history that creeds have been used for negative purposes. Creeds and identity statements made the baptism of adults an illegal act not that long ago. In anger, believers in adult baptism were drowned, often with the accusation that if you want to be baptized, we will baptize you. Similarly, the refusal of Baptists to baptize infants was ridiculed.

The Baptist believers responded by insisting that the only creed we need is the one presented in Scripture. We will follow the understanding we gather from the Bible; we need nothing else. We are truly a people of the book, the Bible. Southern Baptist Scholar Grady Cothen argued that “no one had to have a checklist of beliefs, that there’s no theological template that must apply to each church.” So, we give no allegiance to any creed. We might recite the Apostle’s Creed once in a while, but we are also free to disagree with what it says. I remember long arguments I have had with friends over the phrase in the creed that indicated Jesus “descended into hell.” We understand where the idea originated, but some also believed it misrepresented scriptural truth and therefore should be rejected. But not everyone had to agree to be part of the Baptist community because, as Baptists who are essentially non-creedal in nature, we are free to have that discussion.

Carmen Anderson of Second Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, explains it as follows. I honestly wish I could phrase it better.

This non-creedal stance is a testament to our long-held belief that each believer has a personal, ongoing relationship with God. We believe that the individual Christian is competent before God, not before man. Christians must think for themselves and come to their faith through their own free will and discernment using Jesus as their guide. No one entity is allowed to make that determination for us. It’s the reason our early Baptists were persecuted for insisting in believer’s baptism. Infants were not to be baptized in our denomination because they couldn’t think and decide for themselves. We are to be accountable to God, not to the church or any other group that attempts to dictate how everyone should believe. Therefore, we remain a non-creedal denomination (Carmen Anderson).

Anger is a shortcut. Anger says that if we disagree, I don’t have to understand you because we all know that I am right and you are wrong. Anger argues that understanding requires patience, and we don’t have time for that kind of garbage.

Where does it end? Part of the problem with anger is that it often fuels itself, burning until there is nothing left in our lives.

In the midst of our disagreements, we need to pursue understanding, which means that anger cannot be present. And in the process of learning more about those around us, we might catch a glimpse of what God is doing in the world around us.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 15

The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves. – Proverbs 13:5

Today's Scripture Reading (December 28, 2025): Proverbs 13

Those in public life, from politicians or political appointees to Pastors, are often presented with a choice; they can lie and keep their positions, or they can tell the truth and lose. It is an unenviable place to be in. The political world is littered with people who chose the second path. The first President I remember having this kind of radical honesty was Jimmy Carter. Carter is recognized as the best post-President the United States has ever possessed. Still, the truth was that he was an honest President that the United States needed in the wake of Watergate and Richard Nixon's resignation. Unfortunately, the voters didn't understand that at the time. They didn't want an honest President; they wanted one who would agree with them, even if that agreement was a lie. The second President I think suffered from terminal honesty was President George Bush; the first one, not the second. One of the most memorable statements of this President Bush was his assertion, "Read my lips; no new taxes." Of course, then he raised taxes. Some argue that raising taxes was a breach of a promise and a moment of dishonesty by the President, but I am not convinced. I believe that President Bush was being honest when he said he had no intention of raising taxes, but he was being equally forthright when circumstances changed, and the new taxes proved necessary in his evolving world. It is no wonder that both of these Presidents were elected to only one term. I think they both deserved a better fate, but that is just my opinion.

I often wonder if Pastors really believe everything they say. There is always pressure to adopt the beliefs of those who control the church's destiny, rather than to speak what is right and part of the leaders' beliefs.

Proverbs remind us that there really is no choice—the righteous hate what is false. So, if what is false is present, righteousness is not. It is a long journey that most of us have toward righteousness, but the closer we get to it, the more we hate what is not true.

And maybe it is long past time we began to reward the speaking of truth, even if it is not what we believe. Because politicians are trusted to do what is right for our nation, regardless of what we think, and pastors are the modern-day prophets who need to be allowed to speak their truth and challenge our beliefs. If we can find people that we trust in these positions, then they deserve our support regardless of what we might believe.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 14

The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. – Proverbs 12:10

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 27, 2025): Proverbs 12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Most of us have memorized some version of this verse. It is arguably the best-known verse in the Bible. We know the verse, but one question that I keep asking those around me is if we really believe it. Do we actually believe that God loves the world? Sometimes we are challenged to personify the verse. For God so loved (insert your name here) that he gave his one and only Son, that if (insert your name here) believes in him, they shall not perish but have eternal life. However, that is not what the verse says. The verse distinctly says “the world.” Thus, the next question we ask is how we should define “the world.”

Some argue that this verse should really be “For God so loved the Christian community …” Others would refine it even more to say “God so loves the Calvinists, or maybe the Fundamentalists.” However, that is not what the verse says. The verse clearly says “world.”

I admit that I love the story of Jonah. Too often, we limit the story to a prophet and a big fish, but it is so much more. It is a story about God’s love for the world that he had created, and a prophet who didn’t share in that love. And so, the man rebelled against the love of God. But the story closes on a note that explains how far God’s love really goes; the last thought of Jonah’s story is a comment from God to his prophet.

And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals” (Jonah 4:11)?

The love of God was not limited to people but extended to animals as well. Proverbs insists that the righteous will care for the needs of their animals, while the kindest acts of the wicked are still filled with cruelty. All because God really does love the world; all of the world; not just those who agree with God, not just the righteous, not even just the people, but the whole world and all of creation, which includes even the animals of our planet.  

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 13

In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. – Jeremiah 33:15

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 26, 2025): Jeremiah 33

In 2009, I did something that I had said I would never do; I planted a church. The name of the church was, and still is, “VantagePoint Community Church.” In the early days of the church, I was often asked where the name came from. I could provide a spiritual response: the name actually originated with Jesus's words in the Sermon on the Mount.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

For me, VantagePoint indicated that town on a hill. I wanted to be part of a movement willing to let its light shine from the mountain to the community surrounding us. However, the reality is that the name had been used as a placeholder name for quite a while. The name was the place where dream ministries went, a place where all the things we didn’t think we could do at the time, but that we hoped to try someday, were housed. A common phrase became: “At VantagePoint, we will do this.” VantagePoint was the “when the time is right” place.

I think we all have a VantagePoint. It is the place where we put future plans: the things we want to do but, for whatever reason, do not believe we can do right now. So we wait, we dream, and we find other dreams to put in the same place. We also monitor opportunities that might arise for us to put our dreams into action. We wait for the time to be right.

No matter what was happening with Israel, God still had hope. He found a place to put his dreams. And in that day, he would do what he couldn’t do in the present when the prophecy was given. But he wasn’t about to forget Israel or the line of David; instead, the dream was filed under “In those days.”

Those days finally came in Bethlehem. The angels announced the arrival of the day; the Messiah had been born in the town of David. A righteous branch was now growing out of the line of David, and God’s dream was about to become a reality. Like a lot of our dreams, the dream didn’t happen quite as we might have expected. Our dreams often don’t unfold as we wish. But the day and the dream were eventually fulfilled.

“In those days,” God would do something new. Jeremiah couldn’t have imagined the shepherds in the field having a visit from the angels, Magi from the east coming in search of the new King, or even a baby in a manger. But “in those days,” something would happen. And it is our privilege to live the God dream with him and of having him involved in our “in those days” moments.  And that is an exciting place to be.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 12

Originally Published on November 30, 2010

The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). – Matthew 1:23

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 25, 2025): Matthew 1

Most of us have dreams for our kids. If we were asked what our dreams are for our children, we would probably reply that we are happy if they stay healthy. However, most likely, our dreams go just a little deeper. We want them to make a difference in their world. We want them to find a good spouse who will complement them and help them to make their dreams come true. We may not wish great financial success on them, but we do want them to be comfortable, whatever that means, and to be able to pay their bills and save enough money to purchase a house so that they might, someday, retire in comfort. We don’t want our children spending their lives living from paycheck to paycheck. All of this is part of our dreams for our kids.

Things haven’t changed much in this respect. We still dream for our kids, as parents of centuries past did for theirs. So, when Mary and Joseph found out that they were going to have a baby, they were given a name. The name described all that the baby boy was meant to be. The angel told them to call him “Jesus.” Many years ago, archaeologists found a grave marker for a family that bore the names Mary, Joseph, and Jesus. A thrill went through the world as people wondered whether we had found the burial site of the Holy Family. Then we started to do the math. Mary was the most popular name for girls during Jesus’s time. A quick look through the Bible confirms that Mary was not an unusual name. Joseph and Jesus were also very popular names. Israel, 2000 years ago, was filled with little boys named Jesus. The probability of a family having the names Mary, Joseph, and Jesus was actually fairly high, likely higher than for any other combination of names at that time.

Parents would name their sons Jesus or a variant of the name simply because they desperately wanted a name that would sum up all their dreams and hopes for their children. By naming the boys Jesus and the girls Mary, they gave their children names that indicated they were important. However, no one was giving their children the name of Immanuel. No one wanted to claim that their child would be “God with Us.” One would come, sometime in the future, who would be “God with Us.” Oh, no doubt they would have loved to name their child Immanuel, but that would be a little too forward.

The angel spoke to Joseph. Mary will have a baby, and you will call him Jesus, just like so many other boys that he will grow up with, but he is also Immanuel. He is God coming to us.

We don’t worship Jesus; there were just too many of them, including other men named Jesus who even believed that they were the Messiah. We worship at the name of Jesus, who is also Immanuel. God has come to you, just as he has come to me. And no one is more worthy of our praise than our Immanuel.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 33

Originally Published on December 26, 2010

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. – Isaiah 11:1

Today's Scripture Reading (February 10, 2020): Isaiah 11

It is a sad thing to drive through the mountains and notice that there are places where it seems that only the dead remain. Usually, the cause of death is fire, but death also comes because of disease. However, it doesn't take long after a disaster for the cycle of life to begin again. Green starts to appear between the old, dead trees. Sometimes, a dead tree weakens and falls over, becoming a nursery for small growth. If the woods are given enough time, the forest will recover. It is the way that the forest has been designed to replicate. Fire is an essential tool for recreating the forest, destroying the old to allow the new to begin to grow.

Isaiah continues to tell his story. He prophesies of a massive fire that has swept through the forest, leaving nothing in its wake but dead trees. Some of those trees have weakened and fallen, leaving only ugly, broken stumps pointing at the sky. But then, on one stump thought to be long dead, green appears. A shoot starts to grow out of the dead stump, a shoot that, one day, will be a tree, and will, someday, bear fruit.

Isaiah calls the stump Jesse. He could have called it David, but he opted to name the stump after David's father. All of the kings of Judah had come from the line of David, which was probably the point. The Davidic line was a royal line, a line of kings. The lineage of Jesse was not. Jesse was just a rancher from Bethlehem, whose son would one day become king. By calling the stump 'Jesse' rather than 'David,' Isaiah is returning to everyday reality. Generations later, another Isaiah would revisit the prophet's words and speak of a "Suffering Servant."

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him (Isaiah 53:2).

The words of this Isaiah do not match those of the Stump of David. There was beauty found in that stump. The Messiah was expected from the Stump of David. He would come and, with his power and authority, restore Israel to its proper place among the nations. But the stump of Jesse? What kind of fruit might a shoot from that stump produce?

The answer lies in the life of Jesus. Jesus was of the Davidic line, but Isaiah describes him correctly as coming from the stump of Jesse. He was not what was expected of a Messiah. Jesus was a king, and yet he wasn't. Jesus was a priest. He came as a simple shepherd, and not as a glorious general. He came to save his people, not to destroy his enemies. Jesus was different from what was expected, and that was exactly what we needed. Because out of the stump of Jesse grew a life that could envelope us all, and not just the select few.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Matthew 1

Originally Published on February 10, 2020

The LORD detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him. – Proverbs 11:1

Today's Scripture Reading (December 23, 2025): Proverbs 11

In my library, there is a small paperback book titled "How to Lie with Statistics." The book, written in 1954 by Darrell Huff (1913-2001), was required reading for an undergraduate statistics course I took during my university days. The book highlights ways to make statistics tell a story. There is an old adage that numbers don't lie, but the truth is that they do, or at least, they can be made to lie. Ways to lie with statistics include changing the scale in the middle of a graph or by producing a graph that doesn't start at zero. The graphs below use statistics to tell drastically different stories about population growth in the United States using the same (and actual) data. The difference is that Graph 1 begins at 328 million and ends at 344 million. As a result, Graph 1 shows explosive population growth. Using identical numbers, Graph 2 starts at zero and ends at 400 million, revealing that population growth in the United States between 2021 and 2023 was relatively stable. The story you want to tell will determine which graph you want to use. But Graph 1 is really a lie (or, to be politically correct, an untruth).

In ancient times, merchants used weights to determine the quantity and price of what they sold. Dishonest merchants would use inaccurate weights. They would change the scale so that you believed that you were receiving more for your money than was actually true. Today, we find other ways to lie, and sometimes we do it through statistics. The use of Huff's book in the class was to teach students what we shouldn't do in our research and to help us recognize when people were trying to lie to us.

God hates it when we use dishonest weights. I have to think he hates it when we use dishonest graphs or any other method to tell a story that isn't quite true, so we can gain an advantage over someone in our dealings. Mark Twain argued (maybe, we don't really know) that there were three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. The phrase is often used to describe someone who tries to bolster a weak argument with statistics. But there is never a time or a situation where it is appropriate to lie in our pursuit of commerce. Everything that we might gain through the lie is lost by someone else whom God loves. And God cheers our relationships when we decide to be honest with each other.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Isaiah 11

 

Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. – Proverbs 10:6

Today's Scripture Reading (December 22, 2025): Proverbs 10

It is hard to hide who we really are. Lately, I have lamented some of my early decisions and actions. If I knew then what I know now, I would do many things differently. If it were possible, I would sit down with several people from my past and offer a heartfelt apology. I wish I could tell them how much I really care for them, even when I was too young and immature to let them know. These are some of the people who bore the brunt of the "who I really was" in that moment.

Often, only those closest to us get to see the "who we really are" moments. In my honest moments, I know that there is still an immature teen, deep inside of me, who is struggling to be who I think God has created me to be. God is still at work forming me. Oh, I hope the illusion holds most of the time, and I trust that, over the intervening years, God has worked in me to mold me into who he needs me to be. But I know there are still moments of struggle inside of me.

In our honest moments, I think most of us feel that way. Ultimately, these differences are impossible to mask. All of which is a danger for those of us who choose to live our lives under public scrutiny, which includes all of us who have been called to be spiritual leaders. Over the past couple of decades, several spiritual leaders have crashed and burned because they couldn't keep up the illusion of "who they really were." It is also what we need to listen closely to in our political leaders. Policies and programs, the actions of our political leaders, will tell us who these people really are, and we need to pay attention to those hidden voices.

Solomon tells his audience that blessings will come to the righteous while violence will overwhelm the wicked. The traditional understanding of this passage is that it refers back to what we might call the old or Mosaic understanding of the Law. Moses instructs Israel to act out these blessings and curses when they entered into the Promised Land.

When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin. And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali (Deuteronomy 27:12-13).

But just because we do not live in the era of the blessings and curses of the Mosaic Law doesn't mean that we can lose sight of the blessings and curses pronounced here. I am convinced that the "who we really are" core of our being continues to live under these blessings. Except that, we are the ones who pronounce the blessings and curses. If God is truly remaking us in the image of Christ, the world around us will be blessed by our presence. But if we are far from the dictates of God, violence will be part of everything we do. Violence will pour out of our language and actions as we journey through this life. These are things we will not be able to hide, no matter how much we might want to. Violence will overwhelm our mouths, just as Proverbs has said that it would.

And peace on earth? Well, that only emerges from those who are living in the blessings of God.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 11

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. – Proverbs 9:10

Today's Scripture Reading (December 21, 2025): Proverbs 9

I am continually amazed by what we think we know. It is sometimes a challenging task for us to admit that we don't know something. For one thing, our own personal pride seems to be on the line. If we really don't know what we need to do, we may come to believe we are without value as people. One way to become indispensable is to possess the knowledge we think is essential for the job we are doing. And most employers seem to want that kind of head knowledge. So, it is no wonder that universities specialize in imparting that kind of knowledge.

The problem with knowledge is that it creates an unteachable spirit within us. I don't need to learn what it is I think I already know. A few weeks ago, I ran into a problem and needed an answer. So, I sought out someone who might know the answer to my problem. I found the person who had the knowledge, but the problem was that while the person I found had an answer, it wasn't the right one. But because he had an answer, he couldn't see the correct solution to my problem. It is a scenario that I see being replayed all around us with increasing frequency.

The writer of Proverbs gives us this warning: knowledge begins with knowing who we address as God. We serve a creative God. For him, absolutely anything is possible. Knowledge is something we shouldn't be afraid of, but it isn't something we should think we have. Actual knowledge starts with God, who can do anything in our lives and our midst.

Sometimes, as Christians, we hold things to be true out of a misapplied sense of knowledge. And that sense of incorrect information can create a conflict with science and human expertise that just isn't necessary.

The think Solomon might say it this way, hold what you think you know, even about God, loosely. Seek knowledge, but don't let it lead you down a false path. Because knowledge starts with God, and God has a habit of surprising us, and he can do whatever he wants.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 10

See also Proverbs 1:7

My mouth speaks what is true, for my lips detest wickedness. – Proverbs 8:7

Today's Scripture Reading (December 20, 2025): Proverbs 8

Wisdom is always true. It can't be anything else if it starts with God.

A story is told about a man who had a donkey to help him transport goods for his business. The donkey was loyal, but he was also lazy. The man's donkey often found ways to cut corners at work, sometimes causing his master's business significant losses. 

One day, the donkey was tasked to carry sacks of salt on his back to town. One of the paths along the way required the donkey to cross a river. As they were crossing the river, the donkey slipped on a rock and fell into the water. His master immediately helped him up, but to the donkey's great surprise, the load on his back suddenly felt lighter. The water had washed away some of the salt inside the sacks. 

For the next few days, the donkey would "slip" and fall into the water. The donkey's master, who was not a stupid man, noticed that his donkey seemed to be falling intentionally. The donkey's behavior frustrated the master because the salt he was supposed to sell kept getting damaged. So, the master decided to teach the donkey a lesson to prevent this loss of salt from happening again. 

On their next trip, he filled the sacks with cotton. Not knowing there had been a change in cargo, the donkey again fell into the water. However, this time the cotton absorbed some of the water, making the sacks much heavier instead of lighter. The packs on the donkey's back grew so heavy that the pack animal could not get up at all!

His master then came to help him, and from there, the donkey learned his lesson. 

Maybe the moral of this story is that there is a way that might seem like the truth to us, but it isn't. Psychiatrist Scott Alexander wrote, "All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity [are] easy. Stay away from easy" (Scott Alexander). Wisdom keeps us from the easy way, and it is more valuable than gold or silver, because wisdom not only keeps us in the right place now, but it keeps us right in the future.

I have called myself a reluctant pacifist. I admit that sometimes, at least to my understanding, war seems to be necessary. However, wisdom says that wars should never be fought because wisdom starts with God and the idea of loving God with our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. Wisdom begins with "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Do these things, and your worries will shrink. Do these things, and maybe the peace that we speak about at Christmas can be a real thing all year long.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 9

Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. – Proverbs 7:2

Today's Scripture Reading (December 19, 2025): Proverbs 7

Phrases are wonderful things. Most of the time, we read them without considering their meaning. And sometimes, the meaning can change over time. Every time I see an English phrase in the Bible, I wonder about its original meaning, including the phrase used here, "apple of your eye." The English usage of the phrase extends back to an English translation of the Latin book "Cura pastoralis" (The Book of Pastoral Rule). "Cura pastoralis" is a treatise that expounds on the task set before the clergy and was written by Pope Gregory I shortly after he was elected as Pope in 590 C.E. The translation, and the first appearance in English of the phrase "the apple of my (your) eye," is attributed to King Alfred the Great (849-899). And in English, the apple of your eye is something that you cherish. But the earliest appearance of the phrase in English was written almost 2000 years after King Solomon used it in Proverbs. So, a huge question, at least for me, is: does it mean the same thing in Hebrew as it does in English?

The simple answer to the question is maybe. In Hebrew, the "apple of my eye" is literally the "pupil of my eye." That black spot in the middle of your eye was called the apple. And it was understood that without the apple, sight was impossible. Anything that threatened the pupil or the apple of the eye threatened the individual's vision, but it also threatened the person's ability to live.

Solomon is writing to his son, and, by extension, to his other children and to all who would read his proverbs. The wise King tells them that keeping the commands in this document is like protecting their sight. The only way you can see the world as it is is by keeping these commands and understanding the world through these proverbs. The phrase "and you will live" relates directly to guarding the apple or pupil of your eye. Sight and the eye were considered required for life.

Of course, that also means that that kind of sight is also to be cherished, because without it, life doesn't continue, or it becomes an inferior copy of what it could be.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Proverbs 8