Douglas Jacoby Podcast

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• Notice how much shorter the proverbs in this chapter are! Sometimes pithy and punchy gets the message across just as well as elongated and eloquent.
• There is a point of no return (v.1). It it tempting to equate this with the "falling away" referred to in the N.T. (Heb 6:4-6; 2 Peter 2:20-22). (Not to be confused with stumbling.)
• Re: v.6, see comments on 28:1 in previous podcast.
• The wicked don't care about the poverty of others (v.7). They are the stars of their show and have no intent to give the limelight, let alone their wealth, to others. Yet even among those who seem to care -- perhaps serving in a soup kitchen -- one wonders whether the goal is to assuage one's conscience or to truly make a dent in poverty. Many young people could, through disciplined study, become doctors, nurses, engineers -- people whose careers magnify their impact many times. Yet they may prefer to work low-paying jobs and invest their free time in recreation.
• Certain arguments are to be avoided at all costs (v.9) -- or else there'll be two fools arguing!
• Venting may feel good, but if the occasion is inappropriate such an action can be harmful (v.11).
• When someone won't face reality, but persists in delusional thinking, all those he influences are in danger of being pulled into the vortex (v.12).
• In v.15, the emphasis isn't so much on discipline as on involvement. For more on biblical parenting principles, please check out our Principle Centered Parenting (formerly The Quiver).
• The vision of v.18 is prophetic (see Numbers 12, Joel 2, Acts 2). The prophetic vision is from God. It has little if anything to do with "getting a vision/dream" for your life.
• V.19 is an important principle for counselors, preachers, parents, teachers, et al.

Challenge:

• Stay inspired!
• Let the Lord reveal his will to you through the word (as in v.18). The resulting inspiration serves to take away our desire to throw off moral restraint.
• A key to long-term changes in our personal discipline is continual interaction with and humility before the word of God. The limpid truths of God's word will keep us fueled -- and on track.
• This means that, after you're finished listening to this series, you should have a plan for continued study.
  • Maybe it's time to finish reading through the entire Bible, esp. if it has been a few years since the last time you did that.
  • There are many podcast series at this website, some 10 lessons in length, others 30 or more.
  • You may also want to read through a book of the N.T., comparing your findings to the N.T. chapter studies.
  • Don't devise a plan that binds you too tight; it's hard to be inspired when we're suffocating. And yet don't be too loose in your plan, either, or time will be wasted and you will regret what could have been.

Versions: First we heard from the NIV, then from the Jerusalem Bible.

Next: Proverbs 30.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• Here is the truth about the psychology of guilt (v.1). God's solution is confession and renunciation (v.13), not hardening one's heart (v.14). Then we are free; we can "sing and be happy" (29:6).
• In v.2, notice how responsibility is shared between the corrupt rulers and the system that produced him.
• Somes it is erroneously taught that God doesn't hear the prayers of non-Christians (e.g., from John 9:31). The biblical teaching is that God doesn't hear (honor, answer) the prayers of those who have no intention of listening to God's word or doing good (v.9). Otherwise God hears and may answer the prayers of his lost children (like Cornelius in Acts 10).
• Many well-to-do people take credit for being "self-made men" or "self-made women." But what do we have that we did not receive (1 Cor 4:7)? Even a poor man can see through the facade of status, prestige, and elitism (v.11).
• V.23 is another great verse on candid speech.
• Notice the theme so often repeated in Proverbs -- trust in self is foolish, trust in the Lord is wise (v.26).

Challenge:

• Remember: You're not that smart! 
• There's no doubt that an increase in personal discipline will prove a blessing to our lives. Yet without continual counsel, encouragement, repentance, and personal honesty it is unlikely that our best disciplinary measures and moral fortifications will prevent the city of our soul from being overrun and its walls demolished (25:28).
• The challenge is similar to yesterday's -- but still much needed.

Tomorrow: Proverbs 29

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• Don't boast about tomorrow (v.1). See James 4.
• Candid speech characterizes true friendship (vs.5, 6, 9).
• V.12 is a doublet for 22:3. Don't you delay when disaster's on the way -- do it today!
• V.14 fits with 25:16-17. Once again, social awareness is an area in which many need to improve.
• "Iron sharpens iron..." (v.17).
• Our character will be challenged, refined, tested... All are tested by praise; the fool, who is incorrigible, is tested without any successful change taking place.
• Current prosperity will not necessarily last. We should be on top of our finances, aware of our assets and liabilities, keeping our affairs in order. Then we and those who depend on us will be secure (vs.23-27).

Challenge of the day:

• Don't brag about your discipline!
• Don't boast about how well you're doing, or draw attention to how you're sacrificing.
• Jesus discouraged such boasting (Matthew 6:16).
• Vs.1, 2, and 21 remind us to stay humble.

Tomorrow: chapter 28

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• The first section of this chapter deals with fools (vs.1-12, with the possible exception of v.2).
• Vs.4 and 5 don't contradict one another. "According to" refers to sinking to the fool's level in v.4, but connotes as they fool deserves in v.5. People who find contradictions in Proverbs have not received training in how to interpret Wisdom literature -- especially the way a saying, maxim, or adage usually captures only one facet of the truth. Click to learn more about interpreting the Wisdom Literature of the Bible.
• Use the proverbs (v.7)!
• Even armed with the truth we can hurt others (v.9). Preachers: be careful.
• Don't be wise in your own eyes (v.12 and v.16).
• The second section of this chapter deals with sluggards (vs.13-16).
• The sluggard exhibits fear and excuses (v.13), laziness (vs.14-15), and pride (v.16). He has serious character issues!
• The third section of the chapter is about things we say (vs.17-28).
• Avoid quarrels not your own (v.17). We don't always have to insert ourselves or save the day; someone else can do it.
• The maniac deceives, or fools around, inappropriately (vs.18-19).
• Both of these (v.17 and vs.18-19) are instances of poor judgment.

Challenge for today:

• Indiscipline is a character issue.
• If we lack discipline (if we're sluggards), we have a serious character issue. It's not a little thing.
• See supplement for a list of character-related words similar to "sluggard."

Tomorrow: Proverbs 27

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• Note on v.1: the compilation of sayings in Hezekiah's day (c.700 BC) was made many generations after the time of Solomon (who died about 970 BC). The book of Proverbs took centuries to reach its final (present) form.
• Research (v.2) is glorious. The disciple should rejoice in new discoveries, exploration, and science. Yet research is qualified (v.27).
• "If your enemy is hungry..." (v.21) is taken up in the N.T. in Romans 12. Such love appears here and there in the O.T., though it is the rule in the N.T. (e.g. Jesus' words in Matt 5). To take this advice literally would be to have nothing to do with war. For further thought, listen to the War Prayer.
• Lack of personal discipline renders us vulnerable -- without any protection against chaos, temptation, unwise companions, poor judgment, etc. (v.28). We need to guard our thoughts and actions.
• Self-awareness and empathy towards others will prevent us from being too pushy (v.6), making promises that disappoint (v.14), violating others' boundaries (v.16), and hurting those who are already in pain (v.20). See also 26:14.

Daily challenge:

• Discipline in interpersonal interactions.
• Discipline extends to how we interact with others. We need to develop awareness of how they perceive us. Often they won't tell us directly, but they may leave subtle clues which the observant person will pick up on.
• Empathy is a matter not only of wisdom (understanding others), but of caring.

Translations: First I read the NIV, and at the end of the podcast the RSV.

Tomorrow: Proverbs 26

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• When others are being victimized, our responsibility isn't just to make a wise observation, but to get involved (vs.11-12). There is a similar passage in chapter 3. The applications are many: helping the poor, evangelism, putting a stop to human trafficking, etc. "But we knew nothing about this" reminds us of the plea of the goats in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matt 25:31-46).
• We ought not to gloat when our enemy falls (v.17). See Job 31:29; Ps 35:13-15. The O.T. may not consistently reach the high ethical standard of the N.T. in love for enemies, but it frequently comes close. An implication of the Lord diverting his wrath from our enemy is that it may fall upon us instead!
• Note: the 30th saying occurs in vs.21-22. A new section begins in v.23.
• Why don't we speak more frankly (v.26)? Are we afraid of rejection? Or are we afraid the other person might make me uncomfortable by asking how I'm really doing?
• V.27 is all about priorities, and especially those related to building a home (marriage and family).
• The sluggard is slack when it comes to maintenance (vs.30-32). For the proper care of vineyards etc, see Isaiah 28:24-29. The reference to sleeping too much is also found back in chapter 6.

Daily challenge:

• Review priorities!
• A disciplined person does things in the proper order.
• Let's stop putting off the really important things.

Tomorrow: Proverbs 25 (Lord willing)

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• There's a connection between an insatiable appetite for food and an insatiable appetite for money (vs.1+, 4+).
• Gluttony isn't the central theme of this first passage. (That is firmly addressed in v.20.) The wisdom to see through superficial hospitality, along with self-control, seems to be the issue.
• As mentioned before, money is dangerous. Its pursuit can take over our lives! A visual image is nearly suggested by the text: A 1000-lb man, whose life centers completely around food, is unbalanced, distorted, unnatural. So with the one who worships Mammon.
• It is easy to envy (prosperous) sinners (v.17). But our true future hope is the Lord, not a financial plan that could make us so comfortable we don't need to rely on God.
• The sad thing about the drunkard (vs.29-35) is that, despite the evidence, he sees no problem with his habit. He even boasts!
• Interesting alternative: The Septuagint (LXX), the Bible the apostles used as they took the message to the Greco-Roman world, has a different, longer reading for the drunkenness passage in vs.29-35.
• And so there are three intertwined themes in this chapter: food, drink, money. The world has little wisdom when it comes to these matters, but God's children are to follow a different path.

Daily challenge:

• Heart check: money. Is my life inordinately centered around earning money?
• Am I controlled by keeping up appearances, competing with myself to set new records, believing the world's messages about wealth and retirement, fearful about old age? Or is my hope in the Lord?

Tomorrow: Proverbs 24

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• Reputation is better than money (v.1).
• There should be no rigorous class distinctions (v.2).
• Wise people take a long view of things. They don't procrastinate (v.3.)
• "Train up a child" (v.6) is a general correlation, not an ironclad guarantee. (Note: this verse is missing in the LXX, which was the Old Testament of nearly all Jews and Christians in the early centuries.)
• Debt is a form of enslavement, so beware of taking on a foolish financial burden (v.7).
• Note: v.16 is the end of the 375 single-line sayings of Solomon. See note for 10:1.
• "... in your heart and... ready on your lips" -- this is the closest verse to support for memorizing scripture that I know of.
• V.20 indicates the start of yet another collection of sayings. Proverbs as a whole is a collection of collections.
• 22:29 is one of my favorite proverbs. To rise up in your profession, value the quality of excellence (along with the quality of frank and gracious speech -- v.11).

Challenge:

• Memorize proverbs.
• Write one down on a card today and take it with you, referring to it now and again.
• This practice can help the word sink deeper into our hearts.

Next: Proverbs 23

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• V.1 alludes to the irrigation canals common in the Middle East. The king's heart is in the hand of the King of Kings -- the only being with true and absolute sovereignty.
• Religion alone isn't enough (v.3). This emphasis on the heart is prevalent in all three divisions of the Old Testament -- Torah, Prophets, Writings.
• Hedonism will impoverish us (v.17). Work is what brings the profit (25). Living for pleasure isn't life at all (but death, according to Paul in 1 Tim 5:6).
• Impulse control (v.20). Guilty of gluttony? Applications: diet, sexual abstinence, drinking, exercise, expression of anger, and more.
• Discipline over our words (v.23).
• V.23 is an example of Hebrew rhyme (less important than parallelism, but still present here and there): Shōmēr pīv 'ûlshôlnô shōmēr mitsārôth naphshô. 
• Don't place all your hope in human planning: your own or someone else's. God is the one in ultimate control (30-31).

Challenge:

• Hand your eating over to the Lord.
• Gluttony is a serious sin in our culture.
• Obesity discredits the gospel.
• Eating with wisdom brings longer life, better health, greater alertness, greater ability to engage in various activities, and increased credibility as an ambassador of Christ.

Next Up: Chapter 22.

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Salient points:

• Beware alcoholism (v.1).
• Indiscipline (v.4) cannot wait, or pace itself. It acts for immediate gratification only.
• V.9, like Ecc 7:20, is a sort of Rom 3:23 in the O.T.
• Don't love sleep (v.13)! "You can often gauge a man's ambition by whether he hates his alarm clock or considers it his dear friend."
• The proverbs accurate describe human tendencies (like complaining to the merchant and then boasting to one's friend -- v.14).
• V.19 ESV: Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.
• V.25 the trap of a rash vow: escape (Prov 6:1-5) or keep it (Ecc 5:1).
• The spirit (v.27) is our human spirit -- God's gift to every human. For a stimulating reconsideration of our spirit vs. the Holy Spirit, listen to David Bercot's recent lesson: http://scrollpublishing.com/store/product3623.html.

Daily challenge:

• Plan with the long view in mind.
• Look down the road of life, at the decades and years ahead. Starts saving for your old age when you are young!
• Just because things aren't pressing doesn't mean they aren't important. Recommended: Steven Covey, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Tomorrow: Proverbs 21