Day 158 (Proverbs 13-15) - Year 7
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. As we continue in Proverbs, we read more of Solomon's words. Chapter 13 juxtaposed the consequences of walking in wisdom and walking in foolishness. He almost makes it sound like the wise person will live a charmed life and have exactly zero problems. Think about the wisest person you know. Have they suffered at all in their life?

And wouldn't they probably say that their suffering is what has produced some of their wisdom? I know my suffering has certainly taught me things I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

Wisdom and suffering aren't mutually exclusive like proverbs can occasionally make them seem. So it bears repeating, these proverbs are general guidelines for wise living, not promises or prophecies. So the good news for all of us is that if we're having a hard time, it doesn't necessarily mean we're foolish. But it might mean we have a chance to grow in wisdom, which will always last longer than the suffering itself.

Speaking of wisdom, verse 20 is one of my favorites from this chapter. It says, You've probably heard the quote that's attributed to Jim Rohn that says, You're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And as smart as he was, Jim probably got that idea from Solomon. Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 15.33, Do not be deceived. Bad company ruins good morals.

The wise aren't just attentive to their words, like we've seen repeatedly. They're attentive to their company as well. If you don't know a lot of wise people, or you've tried and failed to find a mentor, or most of your co-workers or family members aren't believers, you may have a greater difficulty in making this happen. But fortunately, we live in a time where you can access the best preaching in the world and the richest theology at the touch of a button. We have audiobooks and podcasts and online sermon libraries.

If you happen to live in a theological desert, you can still be mentored by the greatest teachers and preachers and authors the world has ever known, dead or alive. And certainly, reading the Bible counts as walking with the wise. Chapter 14 gives us an interesting twist on seeking wisdom. Verse 6 describes a person who appears to be seeking wisdom but is really just a scoffer disguised as a seeker. It says, "...a scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding."

I once heard someone summarize this idea by saying, "'Seeking, seeking, but no desire to find.'" The problem with scoffers is that they prefer questions to answers. Answers are a threat because they require something of us. They require us to submit to the answers we find. If someone is truly seeking, they'll be delighted when you give them what they're actually after. Verse 11 also caught my eye. It says, "'The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.'"

I found this interesting because after all this talk where it seems like the wise live a charmed life, the wicked person here has a house, and the righteous person only has a tent.

Granted, the house of the wicked gets destroyed in this proverb, but I'm still grateful for a proverb that feels a little more aligned with the reality I see around me. The wicked, in general, do seem to have more. Or at least they start out that way. This idea shows up twice in chapter 15 as well. Verse 25 says, "...the Lord tears down the house of the proud, but maintains the widow's boundaries." The proud has a house, but all the widow has is land, no house. But God blesses and protects what she has.

And verse 16 says, Sometimes you have to be thinking about eternity to see it and not let your vision land on this life. But I believe this is fully true in the grand scheme of things. The upright will eternally flourish, and the house of the wicked will be destroyed.

Not only does poverty not mean you're foolish, but God actually commands His people to be kind and attentive to the poor, which drives it home even further that the poor aren't foolish or wicked. 1431 says, We honor our Maker when we're kind to the poor.

Speaking of honoring our Maker, 14.12 says, We've seen this proverb played out over and over again in what we've read so far. When man follows his own way and relies on his own understanding, things end poorly. And even if they don't, God isn't glorified or honored, and that's still a loss. Chapter 15 revisits the theme of using wisdom in our speech. Solomon loves to talk a lot about not talking a lot.

Verse 8 also touches on something that reminds me of Cain and Abel. It says, A lot of people wonder why God rejected Cain's offering but not Abel's. And maybe this has something to do with it. God knows hearts. What was your God shot today? I loved seeing Solomon's acknowledgement that life isn't always a bed of roses for the wise.

I feel like some of these verses really drilled down on what matters in the long run. Not an easy life, but a heart at peace because of the nearness of God. Proverbs 15, 29 really summarized it well for me. The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

God is under no obligation to respond to the prayers of those who don't know Him and who aren't in a relationship with Him. But if He's your Father, you can bet He's going to listen because He repeatedly tells us how much He wants to hear from His kids. He's near to those He has made righteous. Nearness is the blessing. Nearness is the good stuff, you guys.

Ask Him to draw you nearer today. Try it. If you've never done it, don't worry. You probably won't have a burning bush or an angel appear. It probably won't be anything dramatic. It might just be a sense of peace when things are chaotic. It might be hope when things feel impossible. It might be the strength to serve someone who annoys you. That might be what His nearness looks like today as His Spirit empowers you to look like Christ.

But ask for His nearness. Expect it. Look for it. Because He's where the joy is. Have you heard me talk about dGroup? I hope so, because I love dGroup, and I want you to love it too. dGroup is separate from the Bible Recap, but they're both focused on God and His Word. In the Bible Recap, we read the Word. And in dGroup, we study the Word while also practicing other spiritual disciplines in a small group setting.

In DGroup, our core value number one is scripture as roots. Every 12-week study we do in DGroup is anchored in the Word of God. We want to build our lives around who He is. We meet in homes, churches, and online. If you want to find out more about DGroup, watch the short promo video in today's show notes or visit mydgroup.org.