September 9

Journey-through-the-Bible-with-us

READING FOR SEPTEMBER 9, 2025: PROVERBS 29, ACTS 2, PSALM 94:1-11                   PROVERBS 29 This is another chapter containing several themes that weave in and out in a seeming random order. Of course, the verses are ordered according to the Holy Spirit’s guidance to achieve His objectives. 

Stubbornness and Correction:

  • Verse 1 suggests that a person can be corrected so often as to become intentionally unwilling to change. Solomon doesn’t tell how to handle the situation. Perhaps it means we should offer correct- ions only when absolutely necessary so as to avoid using up our quota available for that person. 

Righteous Leadership:

  • Verse 2 contrasts the situations of righteous people increasing, either in number or authority, to that of the wicked assuming leadership. The former situation causes rejoicing and the latter groaning.Character, not just policy, matters in leadership. 
  • Verse 4 states that one way to know if a leader is fair is if there is stability in the country or organization.  Accepting bribes is given as an example of a lack of justice.  We know today the wealthy have greater influence over leaders than the poor due to campaign contributions. How can we fix this?
  • Verse 12 informs leaders not to give credence to false information, such as found often on social media. If a leader does, it tends to drive her/his assistants foolish. Don’t fall for everything. 
  • Verse 14 says right governance to the poor guarantees a leader’s successful tenure. Pretty simple!

Justice for the Poor:

  • Verse 7 gives us a test to determine if we are righteous: do we care for the poor?
  • Verse 13 reminds us that, rich or poor, God is the source of any wisdom we possess. 

Discipline and Wisdom:

  • Verse 3 tells us it is not cards or gifts that make our parents happy, but our wisdom. On the other hand, the lack of wisdom, such as frequenting prostitutes, leads to poverty. 
  • Verse 15 cautions that a lack of parental discipline will lead parents to experience shame later on.
  • Verse 17 confirms the findings on the National Institutes of Health Site Types of Parenting Styles and Effects on Children - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf that authoritative parenting had the best results compared with authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved parenting. 
  • Verse 18 seems to say when we obey revelation from God (the Bible) we don’t perish and are happy.
  • Verses 24-25 tell us it is smart to trust God and then not worry much about what people think.

Pride and Humility:

  • Verse 8 gives a test to determine if we are arrogant or not: Do we stir up strife or try to avoid it?
  • Verse 21 repeats what is stated often in the Bible: pride leads to a fall; humility leads to honor. 

Consequences of Sin:

  • Verse 6 warns that evil is not only wrong, but it will end up trapping us. But the righteous person is free from such worries. He/she should feel like singing. Do we feel like singing very often?

Wise vs. Foolish Behavior: 

  • Verse 5 helps us understand the difference between flattery and compliments. A flatterer desires a positive result for him/herself and a negative one for his/her hearer. Sincere intent is everything.
  • Verse 9 gives a test to determine if we are foolish or not: Do we laugh or rage when faced with strife?
  • Verse 20 says we’re worse than foolish when speaking before thinking. Room for improvement here! 

READING FOR SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 CONTINUED: ACTS 2, PSALM 94:1-11                                   ACTS 2 The world-changing events in this chapter will require more than normal space today. Some of us might remember that there was a Christian rock band called the Second Chapter of Acts. This speaks to the powerful impact this chapter still has on us today. (It’s hard to imagine a group named after Leviticus). What we call Pentecost was also known as Shavuot or the Feast of Weeks (Lev. 23:15-22). It was seven Sabbaths plus one day (50 days) after the Feast of First Fruits. This was a day, according to Leviticus, when all Jewish males were required to go to Jerusalem. 

Thus, there were lots of people in town from all over the known world. What happened next changed that world. Over one hundred disciples were together. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven sounding like a violent wind and looking like fire in the shape of human tongues. These tongues landed on each individual disciple who then spoke about God deeds in every language that was represented in the crowd of Jew. There were two reactions: one group wondered about the meaning and one group mocked this dramatic display. Perhaps that is still the reaction to any great work of the Holy Spirit. Let’s be in that first group.  Jesus said what was taking place was the baptism of the Spirit (Act. 1:5).

Peter took advantage of this heavenly disruption to do a mass Bible study. Do we want to take advantage of a surprising work of the Holy Spirit? Then know the Bible well enough to communicate the appropriate passage at the appropriate moment. Having considered slavery in our study of Lev. 25 back in 2024, it’s interesting that this passage from Joel foresaw this day when the Spirit would fall even on male and female servants/slaves (doulous), enabling them to prophecy. This passage is also significant regarding the role of women in the church. Clearly certain women are given the gift of prophecy.

Egalitarians or those who believe women can have the same roles in the church as men will point to this passage as evidence. Complementarians or those who believe women and men have complementary but distinct roles would say that prophesy (prophēteusousin) does not mean a teaching and leadership role over men when the entire assembly is together (1 Tim. 2:11-12; 1 Cor. 14:33-35). What both groups agree on is what Peter’s main objective was for quoting this passage: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” Consider the future of those who don’t call out to God.  

Peter then explained how Jesus’s life and death were a necessary part of God’s plan for humanity: the Gospel. He again quoted from the Bible to make the point that David foresaw Jesus’s resurrection. Then he tied the resurrected Jesus to the baptism of the Holy Spirit that

READING FOR SEPTEMBER 9, 2025 PAGE 3: ACTS 2, PSALM 94:1-11                                                                   they had all just witnessed together. Finally, he went in for the clincher. This resurrected Jesus whom all these folks had killed is the Lord of all and the promised anointed One (Messiah) of God. This appeared to shock them as they remembered in horror what they had done. But Peter, who also once denied Jesus, had the solution: repent and be baptized. How was this rather blunt sermon received? That very day 3,000 people believed and were baptized. 

Peter’s shocking message also targets us today: “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (vs. 39).Question: Once we are saved, does our life change or continue as before? “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (vs.43).  Yes, it’s true this was a once in history event, but, keeping with the slavery imagery, we are now under new ownership having received the Spirit’s baptism. Jesus says we are “born again” (John 3:3).

PSALM 94:1-11 We all know that Jesus told us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matt. 5:44). Can we at the same time also pray to the “God of vengeance,” who is the also “judge of the world,” to pay back retribution to the proud (Psalm 94:2). Let’s take a look at the proud people described in this Psalm. They speak arrogantly. They crush God’s people. They kill widows, strangers, and orphans. They don’t believe what the Bible says about God. Are there people who meet these criteria today? How about in recent history? For example, the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin, had over 100,000 Russian Orthodox pastors shot in 1937-38 as part of his five-year plan of atheism. Could Stalin be loved while asking God for retribution against him?

In verses 8-11, the Psalmist addresses these proud people, rhetorically at least. He laments that they are so clueless about God. Let’s be certain that we don’t adopt their same tendencies: believing that God doesn’t hear or see our actions, believing God won’t ever punish evildoers, and believing that God is unaware of our thoughts. These beliefs reveal a diminished view of God that will lead to problems in this life and no hope for eternity. 

Back to the questions posed above about loving destructive, hateful people while praying for retribution. The key is praying to and trusting God, the judge of all the world, and not taking any vengeful action on our own. Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, appears to have figured this out: “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:19-21).