Day 161 (Proverbs 22-24) - Year 7
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Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. Today, Solomon opens by talking to us about how to walk in wisdom to avoid sin. It seems to involve a lot of careful attention and thoughtful planning. It doesn't happen by accident.

In chapter 22, he uses a lot of phrases like, the prudent sees danger and hides himself, and guard your soul and apply your heart, and encourages parents to train up their children with wisdom. Verse 5 specifically says, thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked. Whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.

Solomon encourages us to take care to steer clear of things that will ensnare us. It makes me want to be mindful of what things take my eyes and affections off God. What derails me? What traps do I fall into? Speaking of traps, verse 14 jumped out at me too. It says, The phrase, he with whom the Lord is angry, caught my attention. So I spent a few minutes looking into that.

The deeper meaning of the phrase is something closer to, "...he who is cursed of the Lord," which would, of course, be the person who is not in relationship with God. And again, it's important to remember that these little wisdom nuggets aren't promises or prophecy. This isn't saying God lures people into adultery. This is Solomon's way of reminding people, again, to steer clear of the things that are adultery-adjacent, because it's a trap for anyone, but it's especially not suited for people who know and love God.

In chapter 23, Solomon, who was one of the wealthiest men of all time, tells us something only a wealthy man could know by experience. Wealth is fleeting, unfulfilling, and isn't worth exhausting yourself over. Verses 4-5 say,

Solomon is basically saying, don't be foolish enough to chase these fleeting things. You'll be exhausted and they'll be gone. All three of today's chapters point to choosing our friends wisely. In chapter 22, verses 24 through 25 say, In chapter 24, verse 21 says,

And in chapter 23, verses 20 through 21 say, We've already talked about this idea when it showed up earlier in Proverbs, but Solomon reminds us again that the people we regularly surround ourselves with will have an influence on our lives.

Speaking of wine and gluttony, Solomon spends several verses at the end of chapter 23 talking about the perils of drinking too much and giving some strong advice about avoiding drunkenness. Most people believe Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, which recounts feasts that would last for multiple days with lots of food and wine involved, so he probably either personally experienced these consequences or had just seen enough other people suffer through them that he'd learned the lesson vicariously.

In chapter 24, Solomon gives us a crash course in what it means to learn, and he compares it to an episode of Fixer Upper. Verses 3-4 say, By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established. By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Yesterday we talked about the difference between knowledge and wisdom, and today we have this new word thrown into the mix, understanding. So let's dig a little deeper on all three of those words.

Knowledge is having the facts. Understanding is the ability to discern what the facts mean and how things fit together in the big picture. Wisdom is knowing how to apply your knowledge and understanding, how it all translates into the everyday life of a Christ follower. The fact that you're in the Word means you're stacking up all three of these things. I love this quote from R.C. Sproul where he summarizes it all. Our Lord calls for a continued application of the mind to His Word.

A disciple does not dabble in learning. He makes the pursuit of an understanding of God's Word a chief business of his life. That's what you're doing here in the pages of Scripture every day. Keep at it, not just this year, every year. Knowing God is the chief business of our lives. What was your God shot today? I saw how much God cares for those who are far from Him. The fools, the simpletons. It showed up twice in chapter 24—

Verses 11-12 say, Some commentators believe these verses are more literally interpreted, and I can see that too, that it could refer to people who are being unjustly oppressed.

Absolutely, we must do that. We must watch out for them. But I can also see possible interpretations on a soul level, not just a life level. If it does at least apply on the soul level, then it can also tie into what we read in verses 17-18, which say, God wants our hearts to align with His heart.

So if He's asking us not to rejoice when our enemy falls, then we can trust that He certainly doesn't rejoice either. Ezekiel 33 11 says it this way, God wants the wicked to turn back, to repent and live, not to stumble into eternal death. What kind of person cares for his enemies like that?

The same kind of God who adopts them into His family, pays for their sins, and seats them at His table for an eternal feast. We all started out as His enemies, you guys, steeped in sin and doing our own thing. But He gave us new hearts, opened our eyes, and helped us to recognize that He's where the joy is. ♪

Hey, Bible readers, it's time for our weekly check-in. As we're reading through Proverbs, you'll probably notice that some of these verses are verses you see everywhere. Home decor, social media posts, and maybe even some phrases you've said yourself that you didn't even know were from the Bible. Today, we read about the difference between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, all of which you are growing in as you read and recap each day.

And I know that sometimes the summer messes with our schedules and it makes it hard to keep up, but keep going. You're right where you need to be. And you're so much further than you were before. Don't give up. Ask God to help you if you're struggling. He will. Keep going and know I'm here cheering you on every day. I'll see you back here tomorrow.