READING FOR JULY 17, 2025: PROVERBS 3, 1 TIMOTHY 2, PSALM 69:14-24 PROVERBS 3 This chapter contains 35 verses of such eloquence and clarity that it is hard to comment on them other than to just offer admiration. Once again, the recipient of this wisdom is described as a young man, but the words have pertinence to all of us. The author tells us to comply with these commands with our hearts, not just grudging obedience. If we do, our lives will be longer and more peaceful. If we make kindness and truth a way of life, our reputation with God and man will be enhanced. Verses 5 and 6 are justly among the most quoted of all scripture because they are vital wisdom, too often not practiced. When we trust the Lord totally in every area of life more than in our own opinions, He will direct us based on His obviously superior understanding. We might have the verses memorized. Good. Are we practicing them. Much better.
The direction in verse 14 about honoring God with the first of all our produce goes back to the command about firstfruits first mentioned in Lev. 23:14: “Until you have brought in the offering of your God, you shall eat neither bread nor roasted grain nor new produce.” The promise here in Proverbs is if you trust God enough to give Him the first of what you harvest, He will provide for your needs with overwhelming generosity. Practicing this principle today might require creativity, but the promise is still good. One idea is to give God your most alert times of the day, such as studying the Bible first thing in the morning. Hebrews 12: 3-4 calls upon us to remember the wisdom first presented here in verses 11-12 that just like a father, the Lord disciplines us for our own benefit because He delights in us—not because He is angry with us. May we remember this when going through hard times and be encouraged. Think about what we are learning.
Verses 13-26 state the high value of wisdom, especially compared to material wealth. We might quickly agree, but again, do we practice this truth? When given the opportunity to read serious literature, including the Bible, or to watch some harmlessly entertaining show on TV, which do we choose? The choices we make in how to use our time really provide the answer as to whether we agree that wisdom is “more precious than jewels.”
Verses 27-35 speak to being wise in interpersonal situations, often a great challenge. Not only is it nice to be helpful to others, Proverbs says it is wise to be intentionally kind to them. Not only is it good not to be a violent person, it is wise not even to envy them. Much better to be wise and needy than rich and foolish. The former will inherit honor, but the latter dishonor--if not in this life, then certainly in the next.
READING FOR JULY 17, 2025 CONTINUED: 1 TIMOTHY 2, PSALM 69:14-24 1 TIMOTHY 2 Paul tells us to pray for ALL people. Maybe that’s not all 8 billion people on earth, but certainly it includes all those whom we know personally. That’s not an insignificant list. Then he tells us to pray for kings and other authority figures. The fact that the word “kings” is plural means it is not for just the leader of our country, but other countries also. This becomes apparent when he tells us why: so that we can live in peace. He says God wants us to live in peace. And why is that? Because then we can share the gospel to ALL countries so that ALL people can be saved. Paul says there is only one God and one way to the Father: Jesus. Everyone deserves to hear this message, and God has given us the job to convey it. To that end, He wants ALL men to pray with no disputes but lifting up hands. ALL men should do this!
Since the beginning of the women’s movement in the 1960’s, verses 9-15 have become among the most controversial passages in the Bible. Those who interpret the Bible as needing to ad- just to the present culture rather than the culture adjusting to the Bible simply disregard this passage. Some who believe the Bible is applicable today but also support women’s equal par- ticipation in the church say these verses only apply to this local situation in Ephesus at this one historical moment due to the prevailing influence of Artemus, Ephesus’s resident goddess.
The historical position notices that the verses preceding this passage are applied universally, as signified by the repeated use of the word “all.” It notes that Paul’s forbidding women from exercising authority over men and teaching men in the church was tied to the created order and to the fall. Jesus likewise tied His teaching on marriage (Matt 19:4) to the created order as a way to universalize His teaching over what had become common practice in His day. Also, it’s interesting that John Wesley’s teaching on these verses follows this historical position.
PSALM 69:14-24 David pleads with God for rescue, which we all must do from time to time, especially in seeking the rescue from sin that is now possible through Jesus. David bases this request on two unchanging attributes of God: mercy and compassion. His wording about his current need foreshadows all humanity’s need of ransom and redemption, which is the message of the Gospel. Verse 20 reminds us of Job’s miserable friends and also the wholesale desertion of Jesus’s disciples. Verse 21 is clearly prophetic of Jesus’s agony on the cross: “They offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall” (Matt. 27:34). Verse 22 starts a section praying curses upon David’s enemies. There are two main approaches to these kinds of passages:
- Not appropriate to pray today: “the Psalmists did not have the justice of God completely satisfied in Christ. Thus, we pray for our enemies, not wish them ill.” (Tim Keller)
- Part of God’s perfect word: Peter quoted Psalm 69:25 in Act 1:20 regarding Judas: “For, said Peter, it is written in the Book of Psalms: 'May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it.’” (Rhys Laverty) Note: the writer leans toward the first approach, praying curses on evil forces, not people.
