Author: Norm

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 12 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. [Proverbs 12:3] I am just focusing on one proverb today, one that summarizes the wisdom of all of them. The basic message here is that if I want to live a stable, secure, rooted life, I need to choose integrity,…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Today’s proverbs contrast wisdom and folly in its many forms. honesty vs. dishonesty humility vs. pride integrity vs. duplicity righteousness vs. riches/trust in riches righteousness vs. wickedness/unfaithfulness/godlessness upright vs. wicked understanding vs. lack of judgment trustworthiness vs. gossip advice vs. lack of guidance indebtedness vs. being in debt kindness vs. ruthlessness kindness…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 10 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The next chapters are collections of sayings, covering a variety of topics. Sometimes there are repeated themes, like today. The theme I picked up on was the emphasis on the mouth (chattering lips, tongue): Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. [Proverbs 10:6] The wise…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. [Proverbs 9:4-5] Let all who are simple come in here!” she says to those who lack judgment. Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 8 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. [Proverbs 8:23] Solomon urges his son to pay attention to wisdom because wisdom is a part of the very fabric of creation and life; wisdom was woven into the DNA of created reality. It goes back to before time began. And…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks. [Proverbs 7:11-12] In this parable, Solomon warns his son about how temptation lurks at every corner, and how this naïve youth is seduced. Unaware, unguarded, foolish, he gives in…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 6 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the corrections of discipline are the way to life. [Proverbs 6:23] How does a person figure out the right or best way to live? To some extent, it is trial and error. We learn by experience. But at times the consequences…

SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 5 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: The evil deeds of a wicked man ensnare him; the cords of his sin hold him fast. [Proverbs 5:22] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. [John 8:34] If you’ve ever seen someone caught in a destructive behaviour, one that they cannot or do not let…