“He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

Proverbs 3:19-35 ‘You will walk on your way securely... for the Lord will be your confidence’ (Proverbs 3:23,26). Trusting in the Lord, we are to say, ‘He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold’ (Job 23:10). Our faith is under threat. There is the danger …

Jesus invites us to see ourselves as God sees us.

Matthew 23:1-39 As you read Jesus' stinging words, remember this: there is a 'Pharisee'' in every one of us! Jesus disturbs the 'peace' of 'those who sit at ease in Zion' (Amos 6:1). He invites us to see ourselves as God sees us: 'before Him no creature is hidden, but all are open and laid …

Raised, with Christ, to eternal life

2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; Acts 2:22-47; Proverbs 14:5-14 “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went” (2 Samuel 8:14). The victory, given to Jesus, was a greater victory than any victory given by God to David. Concerning David, Scripture says, “David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day” (Acts 2:29). Concerning …

The light of the righteous shines brightly.

1 Samuel 14:24-15:35; John 14:1-31; Proverbs 12:28-13:9 “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). “Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me … Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching” (John 14:21,23). “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality” (Proverbs 12:28). …

A Call For Spiritual Growth

Proverbs 2:1-15 There is a real call for spiritual growth here. We are to accept God's words, storing up His commands, turning our ears to wisdom and our hearts to understanding (1-2). If we are to grow in the fear and knowledge of God, we must pray for insight and understanding. These blessings are greater …

A Gospel Invitation

Proverbs 9:1-18 There is, in verse 5, a Gospel invitation: 'Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed'. We eat bread. We drink wine. We remember our Saviour (Matthew 26: 26-29). 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom' (10). 'This sounds so old-fashioned' - so the world …

Filled with the Holy Spirit – let us speak God’s Word with boldness.

Proverbs 1:20-33 This section begins with the words, 'Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares' (20) and ends with the words, 'whoever listens to Me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm' (33). The Gospel is not to be kept to ourselves. Christ …

Jesus changes people.

Mark 2:13-3:12 Jesus changes people. Levi became Matthew (14). He became 'a new creation' (2 Corinthians 5:17). The change of name marked his new birth (John 3:6). To be changed by Jesus you must recognize yourself as a sinner (17). There is a world of difference between legal obedience - 'old wine' - and Gospel …

Less leaning on our own understanding and more trusting in the Lord

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought …

There is a choice to be made.

2 Kings 14:23-15:38; Acts 25:23-26:23; Proverbs 16:18-27 Here, we have the record of seven reigns – five in Israel, two in Judah. The five in Israel “did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 15:9,18,24,28). The two in Judah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings …

Praying Through God’s Word: Proverbs

Proverbs 1:1-7 Lord, help us to be doers of Your Word. Hearing Your Word is easier than doing Your Word. We hear what You’re saying to us – but do we do what You’re telling us to do? This is the great question we must always ask ourselves. It’s the great question that You’re always …

There’s a way back to God (Travelling Through God’s Word: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes).

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will direct your paths (or make your paths straight) (Proverbs 3:5-6). Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will …

Proverbs

PROVERBS 1:1-7  -  Scripture speaks of different kinds of ‘wisdom’. In Proverbs, wisdom is closely associated with godliness. In Ecclesiastes, wisdom - viewed as mere human intelligence - is described as ‘meaningless, a chasing after the wind’ (1:12-18). This contrast is continued in the New Testament, where Paul describes Christ as our ‘Wisdom’, contrasting this …

Wisdom for living

Practical wisdom, wisdom for living - this is what we have in Proverbs. The teaching of Proverbs is based on the principle: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7). This does not mean that God is mentioned frequently. In Proverbs 25 - 27, there is only one mention of God …

Wisdom is better than gold.

PROVERBS 16:1-17  –  ‘Wisdom is better than gold… understanding is to be chosen rather than silver’ (16). What is wisdom? In 1 Corinthians 1:30, we learn that Jesus Christ is Wisdom. To find Jesus Christ is to find Wisdom. How do we find Jesus Christ? How do we find Wisdom? Jesus tells us – ‘Seek …

The return of our Lord Jesus Christ

Joshua 1:1-2:24; Luke 2:5-38; Proverbs 10:11-20 Israel’s entry into the promised land was a highly significant event in the history of God’s redemption. ‘The momentous event’ is the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ: “The Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). We must be ready for His …

The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power.

Judges 14:1-15:20; John 7:14-44; Proverbs 11:29-12:7 True strength comes from the Spirit of the Lord – “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him (Samson) in power” (Judges 14:19); “Whoever believes in Me (Jesus), as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him. By this He meant the Spirit, whom those …

Holiness And Honesty

Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 16:1-18; Proverbs 9:13-18 Holiness and honesty are two qualities which are to characterize the life of the Christian. The 'laws' in Deuteronomy stress the importance of holiness. Jesus, in His parable of the shrewd manager, emphasizes the importance of honesty - "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted …

Continue in the fear of the Lord.

PROVERBS 23:1-18  –  ‘Continue in the fear of the Lord all day long. Let reverence for the Lord be the concern of your life’. To those who put Him first in their lives, God gives His great promise of blessing, ‘There is surely a future hope for you. You have a bright future. Surely you …

Wisdom and Godliness

PROVERBS 1:1-7  –  Scripture speaks of different kinds of ‘wisdom’. In Proverbs, wisdom is closely associated with godliness. In Ecclesiastes, wisdom – viewed as mere human intelligence – is described as ‘meaningless, a chasing after the wind’  (1:12-18). This contrast is continued in the New Testament, where Paul describes Christ as our ‘Wisdom’, contrasting this …

Choose Christ. Choose Life.

Proverbs 10:1-22 What a difference there is between the ‘wise’ and the ‘foolish’. It is the difference between ‘righteousness’ and ‘wickedness’(1-2). Throughout life, there are choices to be made. We may choose wisely, being led by the Lord ‘in the paths of righteousness for His Name’s sake’. We may choose foolishly, going ‘astray’, refusing to …

The Name of Jesus Christ is the Name of our salvation.

More notes can be found at my One Year Bible blog. 2 Samuel 11:1-12:31; Acts 4:1-22; Psalm 71:1-8 “David pleaded with God for the child”, born of his adultery with Bathsheba, but “the child died” (2 Samuel 12:18). David prayed that “the Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live” (2 Samuel 12:22). The …

More than bread and wine

"Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed" (Proverbs 9:5). We hear the voice of our Saviour, Jesus. He's calling us to come to him, to remember him and rejoice in him, to give thanks to him and give glory to him. We think of the "bread" and "wine" he …

‘Come to the Father through Jesus the Son.’

PROVERBS 4:1-9  –  This is ‘a father’s instructions’ to his ‘sons’ (1). The father has been a ‘son’ (3). He has wrestled with temptation. He has needed the exhortation – ‘Let your heart hold fast…’ (4) – and the warning – ‘Do not turn away…’ (5). Now, we turn to the divine Father and Son. …

We will never be wise unless we build our lives on Christ (Proverbs 1:1-7).

Scripture speaks of different kinds of 'wisdom.' In Proverbs, wisdom is closely associated with godliness. In Ecclesiastes, wisdom - viewed as mere human intelligence - is described as 'meaningless, a chasing after the wind' (1:12-18). This contrast is continued in the New Testament, where Paul describes Christ as our 'Wisdom', contrasting this Wisdom with 'the …

The promise of grace and the call to faith

Proverbs 6:1-15 'Save yourself... like a bird from the hand of the fowler' (5). 'He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler'(Psalm 91:3). In Scripture, we have both the promise of grace and the call to faith: 'By grace you have been saved' (Ephesians 2:5), 'Your faith has saved you' (Luke 7:50), 'Keep …

Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – to the glory of God the Father.

1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 11:45-12:11; Proverbs 12:18-27 In Samuel’s day, there was conflict between the god of the Philistines (Dagon) and the God of Israel. It was no contest – “there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord!” (1 Samuel 5:3-4). In Jesus’ day, there was conflict …

We will never be wise unless we build our lives on Christ.

PROVERBS 1-3 1:1-7  -  Scripture speaks of different kinds of ‘wisdom’. In Proverbs, wisdom is closely associated with godliness. In Ecclesiastes, wisdom - viewed as mere human intelligence - is described as ‘meaningless, a chasing after the wind’  (1:12-18). This contrast is continued in the New Testament, where Paul describes Christ as our ‘Wisdom’, contrasting …

Out of small beginnings, great blessing can come.

Following Abram's rash action of fathering a child, Ishmael, by his maidservant, Hagar, we see, in Genesis 17, God's determination to bless him and to make him a blessing to many people. God will not be put off by our objections (Genesis 17:15-19). To such objections, He gives this answer: "Is anything too hard for …

The better way

2 Kings 21:1-22:20; Acts 28:17-31; Proverbs 16:28-17:4 The rediscovery of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22) revealed the standard from which Israel had fallen, the standard to which Israel was called. The apostolic preaching had the same twofold effect, speaking of both sin (Acts 28:26-27) and salvation (Acts 26:28). “Better a dry crust …

The Lord saves and keeps.

"The fear of the Lord leads to life" (Proverbs 19:23). God is holy. We come to Him, confessing our sins. He forgives our sins, and leads us into new life. "Wait for the Lord, and He will save you... The Lord is the One who directs a person’s steps” (Proverbs 20:22,24). The Lord saves and …

What happens when God hears and answers prayer?

2 Samuel 20:1-21:22; Acts 8:1-40; Proverbs 14:25-35 “God answered prayer on behalf of the land” (2 Samuel 21:14). At the heart of all the confusion of many events involving the nations, there is God – the God who hears and answers prayer. What happens when God hears and answers prayer? – People hear and believe …

God’s great salvation

Ezekiel 38:1-39:29; James 4:1-17; Proverbs 28:7-17 God’s Word speaks of His judgment upon sin (Ezekiel 39:23-24). It also speaks of His great salvation from sin (Ezekiel 39:25-29). “Scripture says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'” (James 4:6). God’s Word speaks of the choice placed before man – obedience or disobedience, blessing or …

Seeking wisdom from God and receiving wisdom from him

 The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1). To many people, in today's world, this would seem to be a very arrogant assertion. What are we to say about this? We could begin by going to the words of Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of …

The light of the righteous shines brightly.

1 Samuel 14:24-15:35; John 14:1-31; Proverbs 12:28-13:9 “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). “Whoever has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me … Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching” (John 14:21,23). “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality” (Proverbs 12:28). …

Be Wise. Win Souls.

“He that winneth souls is wise” (Proverbs 11:30). Be wise. Win souls. “Those are the best educated ministers, who win the most souls” (Charles Finney) – It is estimated that over 250,000 souls were converted as the result of Finney’s preaching! “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those …

“Acquire wisdom” – ”Walk away from evil.”

The call to “acquire wisdom” (Proverbs 4:5) is a call to”walk away from evil” (Proverbs 4:27). The importance of walking away from evil is grounded in the fact that “Each person’s ways are clearly seen by the Lord” (Proverbs 5:21). We are not to give the appearance of living a godly life while remaining far …

Let’s encourage one another in the Lord.

It's great that we are able to encourage one another in the Lord. Hebrews 10:25 speaks about "the assembling of ourselves together" and "exhorting one another." Each of us has a particular ministry of encouragement to those with whom we are gathered together to worship the Lord. It is a privilege to be able to …

When the Spirit is poured upon us from on high

Isaiah 30:19-32:20; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Proverbs 22:17-27 What a transformation there is when “the Spirit is poured upon us from on high” (Isaiah 32:14-15). The blessings which God pours upon us are well summed up in 2 Corinthians 13:14 - “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the fellowship …

God’s Kingdom will prevail over the kingdom of Satan.

Daniel 3:13-4:18; 2 Peter 2:1-22; Proverbs 29:1-9 “The Most High is sovereign over the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:17). It is a great comfort to know that God is sovereign. It gives strength in the midst of the conflict. It’s an unequal conflict – God’s Kingdom will prevail over the kingdom of Satan. We must …

Don’t try to live for the Lord and for the world at the same time.

Proverbs 1:8-19 If we are to be saved, we must follow the Wisdom of the Proverbs: 'Listen, my son, to your father's instruction' (8). We must follow the 'Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing', the living Word, our Lord Jesus Christ (Church Hymnary, 191). Satan is seeking to destroy us - 'let's swallow …

Satan is defeated. Jesus is victorious.

In the story of the flood, we read of the covenant made with Noah. As we move into the story of Jesus, we come into the realm of the new covenant. God was doing a new thing, something greater than anything that ever happened under the old covenant. At the outset of Jesus' ministry, the …

Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.

"Building a tower and making a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11:4) There is no salvation in ourselves. Salvation is in Christ alone (Acts 4:12). The Lord is our "strong tower" (Proverbs 18:10). Salvation doesn't begin with ourselves. It comes to us from Christ: "Who came down from heaven to earth? - Jesus Christ, our Saviour." …

Trust the Lord with all your heart.

"Trust the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding ... Blessed is the one who finds wisdom  and the one who obtains understanding" (Proverbs 3:5, 13). Real understanding of what our life really means - this isn't something that comes from within ourselves. It is given to us by the Lord. …

The authority of Jesus Christ

Mark 11:1-33 Here we learn of the authority of Christ. Calling the 'colt' into His service, He says, with authority, 'The Lord has need of it' (3). With authority, He speaks to the fig tree (14) - a 'visual aid' of His teaching: 'Every branch of Mine that bears no fruit, He takes away' (John …

God’s constant love – the divine pattern for our living in love

Amos 1:1-2:16; Romans 2:17-3:8; Proverbs 17:5-14 God is perfectly holy. He cannot stand sin. This is clear in both Amos and Romans. It is stressed in Proverbs, which emphasizes that sin is not so much sin against man but “contempt for their Maker” (17:5). Proverbs 17:9 tells us that we are to “promote love.” This love …

God’s Word calls for our response.

Ezekiel 32:1-33:20; James 1:1-27; Psalm 127:1-5 God’s Word must be spoken as a Word which calls for response. The prophet is to “warn the wicked man to turn from his ways” (Ezekiel 33:9). He is to declare that “the Sovereign Lord … takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from …

‘Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you’ (Proverbs 4:25).

Living the Christian life is like 'walking a tightrope' - We must 'not swerve to the right or to the left' (Proverbs 4:27; Deuteronomy 28:14; Joshua 1:7; 23:6).  Looking straight ahead, 'let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...'(Hebrews 12:2).  In the face of life's many difficulties, you may …

A better way than the way of drunkenness: being filled with the Holy Spirit

PROVERBS 20:1-30  –  ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler; whoever is led astray by it is not wise’ (1). We need to learn the truth of these words – before it’s too late! There is a better way than the way of drunkenness. It is the way of being filled with the Holy …

Only one ‘Way’ makes sense – Christ.

PROVERBS 12:1-14  –  The Word of God shows us the way we are not to go as well as the way we are to go. We are told that ‘the root of the righteous stands firm’ (12). We are warned: ‘he who follows worthless pursuits has no sense’ (11). Do you have any sense? Here’s …

We are called to look to Christ for salvation.

Ezekiel 45:1-46:24; 1 Peter 3:1-22; Proverbs 28:18-28 In Ezekiel, we read of many sacrifices being offered to God. In the New Testament, it is emphasized that one Sacrifice is sufficient – “For Christ died for sins once for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18). We are called …

Peace, peace, when there is no peace

Jeremiah 6:1-7:29; Philippians 4:2-23; Proverbs 24:5-14 The false prophets say, “Peace, peace … when there is no peace” – “They dress the wound of God’s people as though it were not serious” (Jeremiah 6:14). The true prophet of God comes with a very different message. He says, “Do not say, ‘This is the temple of …

The glory of the Lord

1 Kings 8:22-9:9; Acts 14:8-28; Proverbs 15:11-20 The majesty of the Temple was not merely human. The glory belonged to the Lord. His glory would be among His people, as they honoured Him by doing His will. The servants of the Lord must always say, "we are only men ... We are bringing you Good News, …

What kind of life do we want?

Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil (Proverbs 15:16). These words brought to mind the words of the song, "I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold." What kind of life do we want? Will it be a life in which Jesus is more important to us than anything …

The Redeemed of the Lord

Isaiah 60:1-62:12; Ephesians 4:1-16; Proverbs 23:19-28 The grace of God is very great and very precious. Through His grace, we are “called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord” (Isaiah 62:12). We are “urged ... to live a life worthy of this high calling” (Ephesians 4:1). Following “the right path” is always a matter of the …

A new song of joy

Isaiah 49:8-51:16; Galatians 6:1-18; Proverbs 23:10-18 “The ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (Isaiah 51:11). “May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom …

Be strong.

Haggai 1:1-2:23; 2 John 1-13; Proverbs 29:19-27 God calls His people – “Be strong” (Haggai 2:4). This call comes to the “governor”, “the high priest” and “all you people of the land” (Haggai 2:2). We need spiritual strength in government, in the Church and throughout the land. This strength is needed if we are to build upon …

God’s servants are to lead the people to a deeper knowledge of God.

2 Kings 6:24-8:15; Acts 22:22-23:11; Proverbs 16:8-17 "Go to meet the man of God. Consult the Lord through him" (2 Kings 8:8). The servants of the Lord were appointed to serve the people in the Name of the Lord. God's servants are to lead the people to a deeper knowledge of God. The Lord said to …

A mighty work of God

Numbers 33:1-34:29; Luke 9:10-27; Proverbs 8:22-31 The sheer dimensions of what God was doing with His people, Israel, are most impressive. This was no small thing. This was a mighty work of God. The feeding of the 5,000 was a mighty miracle. It was impressive because of the sheer numbers involved in it. When we think of such mighty miracles, …

The enemies of the Lord will be brought to nothing.

Isaiah 20:1-23:18; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; Proverbs 22:7-16 The people of God live in a situation of conflict. We are at war with the enemy. Nevertheless, we need not be afraid. The enemies of the Lord will be brought to nothing: “Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the …