READING FOR AUGUST 15, 2025: PROVERBS 24, LUKE 9, PSALM 81 PROVERBS 24 Many of the verses in this chapter focus on how the righteous, or at least those who aspire to righteousness, should respond to those who are clearly wicked or foolish. Solomon assumes it is inevitable that people have frequent interaction with evil people. It’s even more true today. This writer is currently just a couple clicks away from sites that extol none of Solomon’s wise principles. His words are even more needed now than back then.
| FOOLISH OR UNWISE BEHAVIOR (vs. 1-22) | PROPER RESPONSE BY THE RIGHTEOUS (vs. 1-22) |
| Plots violence in their minds | Don’t be envious of foolish but avoid them |
| Goes to war without obtaining counsel | Seek wise counsel |
| Scoffing | Consider scoffing abominable—not clever at all |
| Not saving someone who is in mortal danger | Get involved in rescuing others |
| Not concerned about the future by seeking wisdom | Seek wisdom and be prepared for the future |
| Attacks another through stealth | If attacked, get back up and start over |
| Happy to see an enemy struggle | Get rid of any joy felt when an enemy struggles |
| Disrespects authority; seeks connections not friends | Obey authority; seek friends not connections |
| Proclaims a foolish person as righteous | Don’t offer false praise but offer needed rebuke |
The end of this chapter offers essential advice for young people just getting out on their own.
| ORIGINAL VERSE | APPLICATION FOR TODAY |
| “Prepare your work outside and make it ready for yourself in the field; afterward, then, build your house” (vs. 27). | Get a good job first before buying a house and getting a mortgage. |
| “I passed by the field of a lazy one, and by the vineyard of a person lacking sense, and behold, it was completely overgrown with weeds; its surface was covered with weeds, and its stone wall was broken down. When I saw, I reflected upon it; I looked, and received instruction” (vs. 30-32). | If you know of someone who could work but prefers receiving governmental assistance or someone who can’t keep a good job due to poor work habits, drive by their house. Think about how it looks whenever you are tempted to cut corners or not give your best effort at work. |
LUKE 9 Stating the obvious from the Bible is sometimes necessary because we too often fail to grasp it or, perhaps more accurately, apply it. The process for sending out the disciples:
- Receive and respond to God’s call. Jesus called His disciples. As we saw from Lev. 8, we are all called to serve in the priesthood of believers. If you are reading this, you are likely called.
- Serve in the enabling God gives. The disciples received authority to heal and cast out demons. Do we even know what gifts of the Spirit we have that we can exercise with the fruit of the Spirit?
- Employ gifts to achieve God’s objectives. The disciples' mission was to proclaim the kingdom. Our objective is the same: share the gospel with those who are presently outside the kingdom.
- Trust God for the resources. The disciples didn’t raise funds but found resources as they went. God provides for us if we obey. Limited resources should not be the reason we don’t act.
- Leave the group and go out to share. Get started and break away from our safe little group.
Following the simple formula above caused even the Judean leader to notice God’s work.
READING FOR AUGUST 15, 2025 CONTINUED: LUKE 9, PSALM 81
Jesus then gathered the disciples to debrief their outreach. Do we ever review initiatives after they are completed to see what can be learned? Not often. Note that Jesus employed a mix of personal witness (vs.1-6) and large-scale events (feeding 5,000 in vs.12-17). After feeding this crowd, Jesus retreated with his disciples (vs.18-22) for prayer, discussion of His identity, and a preview of the cross. This is another vital component in the mix of activities for God’s people.
How often do we need to deny ourselves and follow Him, according to Jesus? Each day our old nature suggests an agenda. If we prayerfully study His word, each day God gives us His agenda. This daily denying and following drama will run longer than any Broadway play or TV series. Seeing the glorious Kingdom of God, as in the transfiguration and the Father’s confirmation of Jesus’s preeminence, gives us motivation to take up our cross. If we don’t understand and experience Jesus for who He is, we will never be motivated to take up our cross. This may have been why the disciples couldn’t cast out the demon (vs.41) and foolishly discussed who was greatest among them (vs.46). Are we like them or react as the people did (vs.43): amazed at God’s greatness?
PSALM 81 All this liveliness appears to be a celebration connected with Rosh Chodesh. This literally means “head of the month” in Hebrew: “on the first days of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings; and they shall be as a reminder of you before your God. I am the Lord your God” Numbers 10:10. Ever view a Hasidic wedding or watch “Fiddler on the Roof”? That’s the level of ecstasy we see in this Psalm and rarely see at a Methodist church or others. God then reminds of His rescue (vs. 8), Israel’s disobedience (vs.11), His letting them go (vs. 12), and His desire to subdue their enemies (vs.14). Verse 15 is 100% applicable to our time: Those resisting the Lordship of God by not obeying His word may actually be pretending to obey Him. BROTHERS AND SISTERS, STUDY THE BIBLE TO NOT BE DECEIVED BY THEIR PRETENDING.
