READING FOR JULY 30, 2025: PROVERBS 12, TITUS 1, PSALM 74:1-11 PROVERBS 12 If one were to sum up this chapter, it might be said that hard work and common sense make one happier in this world and the next. The word “Lord” only appears twice, but words that require God’s existence, such as “righteousness,” abound. Maybe the meaning is that all of our lives are connected to either our obedience to or ignoring of God whether we explicitly state it or not. Are we living a life of purpose and lasting contribution or one of insignificance and self-centeredness? Do we stop long enough to consider this?
The first verses stress that loving discipline, knowledge, and goodness bring God’s favor; those who do don’t receive God’s condemnation. Are these qualities that we seek today, even if we are retired? There doesn’t seem to be an expiration date in the text. In reading the scriptures, examples exist of those who started well, but lapsed in this regard, such as Solomon himself. Consider Jesus’s story about a rich man’s retirement: “‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. And I will say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you’” (Luke 12:18-20). Think long term—like eternity.
Solomon unfortunately married 700 women and had 300 concubines. This was the source of his eventual downfall as king. When he wrote verse 4 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, though, he rightly understood the importance of marrying an “excellent” wife. One of the blessings of attending Yorktown Methodist Church has been witnessing the wonderful marriages of many of our longtime members. Surely in this way, the church has been an excellent model for younger people in a time when longer-term commitments are not valued as they once were. CONGRATULATIONS TO US!
Verses 5-9 deal with the life of the mind. The concepts of mindfulness, growth mindset, and metacognition have been recent points of emphasis in the field of psychology. The Bible had long before placed a focus on our thoughts: "As a man thinketh, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). Verses 17-23 address constructive communication. We learn that true and faithful words are a delight, but rash and deceitful ones bring trouble and are an “abomination” to the Lord. Paul reiterates this to the church of Ephesus: “Ridding yourselves of falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are parts of one another” (Eph. 4:25). Verses 24-28 warn that laziness leads to a life of servitude, but diligence can lead to leadership and great value. Most of us with years in the workforce can attest that nothing has changed since Solomon wrote this.
TITUS 1 The first five verses of the letter are all one sentence with lots of clauses. All are interesting. Paul opens by saying he is at once the lowest possible slave of God while also the
highest possible leader (i.e. apostle) in the church. He serves for those elect or chosen by God.
READING FOR JULY 30, 2025 CONTINUED: TITUS 1, PSALM 74:1-11
This sounds highly Calvinistic (see Eph. 1 guide) and certainly Calvinists would claim this as support that it’s God who decides who will be Christians. Wesleyan Arminians would say God chooses or elects all who freely place their faith in Jesus to be Christians. Paul also serves for the spreading of the knowledge of truth relating to Godliness. The statement, “Today is July 30” is true but has no apparent connection to Godliness. When Paul mentions the hope of eternal life, he is not suggesting he is uncertain of its happening. He says God promised this and God cannot lie. It is more like placing hope in or an anticipation of getting wet when jumping into a swimming pool full of water. Paul clarifies that God’s plan is not improvised but was determined ages ago and has been recently revealed to us more fully through His word.
Because of everything in this gigantic sentence (vs.1-4), Paul left Titus in Crete to organize the church and appoint elders. Paul says the church elders have to meet these criteria:
- A man without spiritual faults having but one wife with children who are Christians and not rebellious.
- He should not be self-willed, quick-tempered, a drunkard, a bully, or greedy for money.
- He should be hospitable, virtue-loving, self-controlled, righteous, holy, disciplined, and Bible-believing.
- He should be able to exhort others in sound doctrine and contradict those how oppose it.
Paul says elders should hold these qualities because lots of folks say they are Christians but deny God by their deeds (vs 6). By way offering some balance, here is a statement supporting a more egalitarian view of this chapter: “Those who favor the ordination of women usually do so on the basis of what they see to be themes and broader affirmations and trends in the Bible. Those who oppose it do so on the basis of a few specific verses.” (Rev. Brian Harris). Of course, these verses represent everything Paul says about being church elders/teachers. He never presents another view.
PSALM 74:1-11 Asaph doesn’t give us an exact number of days he feels rejected by God. This is poetry after all. He gives a precisely accurate sense of what it feels like: Israel has beenrejected forever. He identifies God as their shepherd, but an angry one, not the gentle Psalm 23 one. As almost blasphemous as he sounds at first, Asaph puts his total faith in God in a time of trouble. He knows God is his only hope. He believes God will responds to his cries. He remembers the history of God redeeming Israel from Egypt. He knows he is God’s inheritance.
It’s against this backdrop of strong faith that Asaph brings to God this current perplexing situation—as he should. It’s unclear if the reference to the sanctuary is for the Tabernacle or the Temple, but in either case there’s good reason for Asaph to be upset. Remember the care God took describing its construction? This is violence to the place of God’s presence. In verse nine Asaph also laments there are no prophets, which means there’s no word from God. Remember Deut. 8:3: “Man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” This is bad, but Asaph is on the line with the right 911: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
