Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Proverbs 24:13-16
Prov 24:13-16
13 My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste. 14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off. 15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home; 16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
James 3:13, 17-18
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom… But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
The Book of Proverbs is referred to as one of the books of wisdom. The goal of the book is to impart wisdom from an older man to his son. The foundation of this wisdom is a fear of the Lord, that is, having a deep respect for God and his word that has been revealed to us. This wisdom includes avoiding the company of evil people and those who are contentious. God is the author of peace, not strife.
The opposite of wisdom is folly. It is defined as greediness, immorality of all kinds, being hard hearted and taking advantage of those who are faced with hardships, and those who ignore God and his love. While the word “grace” is not used in the book, the idea of showing grace to others is abundant. The fool follows his own way, his own thinking, and has no regard for the wellbeing of others.
We often imply that love and grace are only New Testament ideas and that under the Law, these things were not important. But it was the Old Testament Law that Jesus quoted and said that the two greatest commands were to love God and love our neighbor, and then he added that the whole Law and all the Prophets were dependent on these two things. The Pharisees in the days of Jesus kept the Law but failed in their righteousness because they did not have mercy, nor did they practice justice. God said what is good; to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. The same God requires the same of us today.
O Lord God, creator of all things, and giver of life and love, thank you for showing me how to love and revealing your wisdom. Give me this wisdom so my life will show others the love of Jesus. Thank you for giving your Son to live as a man, and in so doing, showing me what is important in life and how to live by your wisdom. I want to be just like Jesus, but I know that I fail so badly, so I need your mercy and your forgiveness. Help me show mercy and be forgiving. In Jesus’ name.
Robert
