No matter how crucial it is to a life of faith, the Law (the Torah) is not itself the source of life. On the contrary, the law points out sin, and sin leads to death (see Rom. 7:7–13). Instead, what makes the Torah effective is that it comes from God. Apart from God, the Torah … Continue reading –>
Keep the Law Out of 13 occurrences of the word Torah — law or teaching — in the book of Proverbs, four are in Proverbs 28 (Prov. 28:4 [twice], Prov. 28:7, Prov. 28:9). Although this use in Proverbs applies normally to the teaching of the wise man (Prov. 13:14), in the Israelite tradition the word has a spiritual … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Prov. 28:4; Prov. 28:7; Prov. 28:9; Rom. 1:16-17; Gal. 3:24; Prov. 28:5; 1 John 2:15–17; Prov. 29:13. Memory Text: The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe (Proverbs 29:25, NKJV). So many voices call to us from so many directions. How do people know what … Continue reading –>
Further Study: The agency of the Spirit of God does not remove from us the necessity of exercising our faculties and talents, but teaches us how to use every power to the glory of God. The human faculties, when under the special direction of the grace of God, are capable of being used to the … Continue reading –>
The Enemy as Friend Read Proverbs 26:17–23. On the lines below, summarize what is being said. Proverbs, again, gets into the power of words, this time dealing with the harm caused by slander and quarreling. Those who slander your enemy before your face, to make you think they’re on your side, are really like charcoal: … Continue reading –>
The Friend as Enemy If we are more disappointed by our friends than by our enemies, it is because we expect good from our friends and evil from our enemies. It doesn’t always work out that way, though, does it? That’s why Proverbs warns us that sometimes a friend behaves like an enemy, and an … Continue reading –>
The Sluggard The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth (Prov. 26:15, NIV). Just as students who spend more time and energy preparing to cheat on an exam than studying for it, it is ironic that lazy people work hard to find excuses for … Continue reading –>
The Fool as Wise Though not a recent fabrication, (especially in the Western world) the idea has taken hold in recent years that argues for the relative nature of truth. That is, what is true for one person, or one culture, might not be true for another. While on one level this is always correct … Continue reading –>
The Mystery of God Life is full of mysteries. Physicist David Deutsch wrote that everyday events are stupendously complex when expressed in terms of fundamental physics. If you fill a kettle with water and switch it on, all the supercomputers on Earth working for the age of the universe could not solve the equations that … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Prov. 25:2-3; Prov. 26:11-12; 1 Cor. 1:20-21; Prov. 26:13–16; Prov. 27:5-6. Memory Verse: Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king, and do not stand in the place of the great (Proverbs 25:6, NKJV). Behind the dazzling serpent, who utters sweet words and who seems so concerned with Eve’s happiness, … Continue reading –>
