Prov. 17 : 3 Out of the Frying Pan . . .

Pro 17:3  The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

Ever heard the old saying, "Out of the frying pan, into the fire"?  Usually we take it to mean that we got out of one mess and then got into a bigger one. Does it ever seem like that is what is happening in your life? In your spiritual life?  Are you meeting with obstacles, with troubles, that try your patience and make you wonder why all of this is happening to you?
God has a lot to say in the Bible about how He can use that . . .

The refiner's fire has two uses when it comes to gold and silver: one is to prove it --- to certify that it is pure silver or gold. The other is to improve it --- stray particles of debris and impurities will be separated out by the fire melting the metal; what's left behind is improved and purified.

In Psalm 66:10, David says, "For thou, O God, hast proved us, thou hast tried us, as silver is tried."  The prophet Isaiah told us that God said, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction."  Paul tells us in I Corinthians chapter 3, "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."  Not only our hearts, but our lives will be tried. That is a pretty awe-inspiring thought . . .

I think we need some help, here, don't you? I feel a little bit inadequate in the face of that responsibility. Let's look at what another prophet had to tell us. Zechariah is quoting God here (Zech. 13:9), and he says:

"And I will . . .  refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God."

He is here with us. He will always be here with us. Till we are there with Him. Thank You, Lord.

Lord, thank You for the promise that You not only know my heart, but that You will hold it, and You will hear me when I call.

Prov 17:2 A Servant's Inheritance

Pro 17:2  A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

In today's world, it may be difficult for us to get our heads around this verse, at first. We are far removed from the world in which this was written. In that era, it was common for wealthy people to have servants - in some nations that would be natives of another land, who were captured in conquests. Other servants were called "bond" servants, and would serve for six years, as set up in the Mosaic law. He would then choose to go free, or to remain a servant, but this time it would be forever. (Check out Exodus 21 for all the details.)

Many servants would then mature, marry, raise a family and grow old, all in the service of that one person that they had chosen for their master. (There is a whole other lesson that we could go into here, but I'll save it.) They became trusted members of that family; they were relied on and beloved. In some cases, their dependability and wisdom brought them nothing but love in return, but Solomon notes that it was possible for them to be rewarded in more tangible ways -- with an inheritance.

Let's see one example of this . . . in the book of Genesis, we find Abraham thinking about his son, Isaac, and anxious to find the "right" girl for him to marry.  He instructed his trusted servant to travel, bearing gifts, and told him what sign to observe, so that he would know the girl that God had chosen.  Abraham's servant is not even named in this passage, but without him, the Hebrew nation's history might have been quite different. The servant followed God's plan and his master's instructions, and all was well.  Because of his devotion and his service to his master, this servant may well have been rewarded with an inheritance when Abraham died.

We can find several stories in the Scripture of sons who caused disappointment to their fathers, and in that era, it was common for wayward or estranged sons to be left out of the inheritance plans of their dads. Solomon is noting here that a wise and trusted servant might well be rewarded for his devotion, while a son might not receive a portion.


Lord, thank you for being my Father, and preparing an eternal inheritance for me. Help me to be a wise and trusted servant.

Prov. 17 : 1 A Quiet Place

Pro 17:1  Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than a house full of sacrifices with strife.

Isn't it interesting that Solomon, the richest guy on earth, is drawing a contrast here in this verse? He says that is is better to have a dry morsel, a small portion of food without honey or broth to moisten it, if it is eaten in unity and love, than to have a house full of "sacrifices." Whoa, now, what does he mean here?
When the children of Israel followed the instructions of the Lord to make their sacrifices, they always brought the best, unblemished animal  that they could afford to bring. There were rules set up for the priests to take a portion -- they were doing their work in the temple all day, so they couldn't exactly go out and make a living, right? So this was the way that God provided for them to eat. Once their portion was chosen, the remainder could be divided up and used by the family that it belonged to.
So, a house "full of sacrifices" is referring back to that, and means a house full of  food and drink - in contrast to that dry morsel. I think that we can agree with Solomon that a house filled with love, peace, and contentment is a much nicer place to be than one filled with contention and strife . . . and such a house would make a dry morsel seem like so much more, even if that was all there was to eat.

There is another track with this verse, that I thought was even more inspiring. I started looking at the verse, and the roots of the words, and I was focused on the word "quietness," and how much better that quiet was . .  I had read recently in my devotions about Christ's retiring to a quiet spot, away from the crowds, and it struck me that this is really something necessary in our modern lives. I hope you won't mind - I'll try not to get too wordy, but let's look at three situations.

First, remember Moses. The Bible says he "sojourned" in the wilderness, keeping his father-in-law's flocks. He stayed out there a pretty good while, and became a man of prayer and quiet strength. God prepared him for that trip back to Pharaoh's court, so that he could become the leader of a nation.
Next, do you recall Elijah? He called the wilderness home, too, for a while. He didn't have much to eat or drink (check it out - it will make you treasure what you have in your pantry!) and he didn't have much company. But God kept him secure, and at peace, and quietly prepared him for his showdown with 450 priests of Baal. (He won, by the way . . . you can read all about it in I Kings 18-19.)
Third, look at the life of Paul. At the time he was called Saul, he was introduced to the God whose followers he was persecuting --- in the middle of a highway, headed toward Damascus. He spent several years in the wilderness, being prepared for a life that would shake the established religions of the day to their foundations. He founded churches, wrote letters, and changed lives --- but before he could do that, he needed that quietness.
I wonder if we can learn from this, that quietness is an integral part of our spiritual lives? We can become so busy, so rushed, that we may be ill-prepared for what God has in store for us. Sometimes even church activities can become too "loud" in our lives, and crowd out that still, small voice.

Lord, teach me to linger at my Bible, to pause in the midst of my requests, and to remain quiet. Speak to me as only You can -- I promise I will listen.

P.P. Questions week 8

A light week in reading means a light week in questions. Yay! I do love our reading and questions but I think everyone is relieved about a light week on occasion.

1)  It is up to the reader to decide what the Delectable Mountains represents. One possibility is that they represent the Sabbath. (The Puritans called the Sabbath a 'market day for the soul'). So, if we thought of them this way, how would the Delectable Mountains remind you of a market day for the soul?

2) The names of the four shepherds imply what about the responsibilities of pastors to their flocks?

3) If you were asked to pick on of these shepherds for your pastor, which one would you pick and why?

4) In the morning, the shepherds call Christian and Hopeful to walk and show them four different places. What is the truth that is taught at each place?

My Vision

"Thou and Thou only first in my heart, High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art".

Proverbs 16:32-33

Start by reading todays passage please.

Patience, Patience, Patience. Why do these verses keep popping up? I am sure that I can tell you. They are all for me. Although, I am getting better. I never thought that a patient person should be more decorated than a soldier. Did you?

The second verse talks about 'casting lots'. Casting lots was a way of making decisions in Biblical times. I did some googling to see if I could find a better way to explain it, and I really liked what answerstoprayer.org had to say, so I hope that you don't mind if I copy it here for you:

Casting lots is quite Biblical. The word "lots" appears 70 times in the Old Testament and seven times in the New Testament.

It was used by priests to separate the scapegoat from the one being sacrificed: Lev 16:8 "He is to cast lots for the two goats--one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat." NIV

It was used to divide the promised land among the Israelites: Num 26:55 "Be sure that the land is distributed by lot." NIV

Several functions in the Temple were determined by lots: 1 Chron 24:5 "They divided them impartially by drawing lots, for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of God among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar." NIV

The sailors on Jonah's boat determined who was responsible for that terrible storm by casting lots (notice that the guilty party was discovered that way!): Jonah 1:7 "Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah." NIV

When the apostles met after Jesus ascended to heaven they determined who would replace Judas by casting lots: Acts 1:26 "Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles." NIV

None of the Biblical illustrations of casting lots had to do with games of chance. Every time it was used, the Israelites depended on the Lord 100% to reveal to them His will. It was an impartial way to find God's will when choices had to occur. This concept is still applicable today. In all our decisions we should impartially depend on God and search for His decisions.

However, the book of Proverbs indicate some neat things about casting lots:

Prov 18:18 "Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart." NIV

Prov 16:33 "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD." NIV


In close, how about we flip a little coin. Go grab a quarter and flip it. Heads or Tails. Heads you Pray for my patience, Tails you pray for yours. Ha...just being silly. Have a good rest of your day.

Proverbs 16: 31

Today, begin by reading today's passage.

So, do you color your hair? Here is quote by Thomas Nelson:

On visits to the Far East, Hugh Downs, the silver-haired co-host of ABC’s 20/20, found one reason to flaunt his age:

Perhaps one day our culture will adopt what I found in Nepal. When meeting strangers, the polite thing to do is ask how old they are. Someone might say apologetically, “I’m only 50.” Whereupon the inquirer might say, “Oh, don’t feel bad. You’re getting there.” To call someone old is a compliment in Nepal. Solomon had it right when he said, “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory.”

So, let's talk about it. Is it vain to color your hair? JUST KIDDING. I am going to stay completely away from that one. That one is between you and God.

So, why is gray hair a crown of glory? The verse give the answer. Today we are going to do some Bible page flippin'--what better way to do a Bible study anyway?

Look up the following passages:

1 Kings 3:14

Ps 91:14-16

Proverbs 10:27

Ephesians 6:2-3

These verses are great verses to contemplate next time you have a birthday. And next time you see gray hairs on your head. Or eyebrows. On on your chinny chin chin. Remember that those little hairs are a blessing. (No it won't stop me from plucking them either.)