Bible Verse of the Day: November 4, 2021

[Sister]

 

[Hidden In Him]

I noticed something interesting in looking at this Chapter of Proverbs. It appears (though I am not certain) that the verses come in pairs and carry a central theme:

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

3 A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them. 4 Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?

5 Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

7 A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb, but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 8 Like a bird that wanders from its nest is a man who wanders from his place.

9 Ointment and perfume delight the heart, and the sweetness of a man’s friend gives delight by hearty counsel. 10 Do not forsake your own friend or your father’s friend, nor go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

If so, it suggests verses 1-2 go together, so the full teaching would be:

1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.

James quoted something similar about Jews/ Jewish believers not boasting about going here and there, and how God would make them money as merchants (James 4:13-17). The rich men that James reproached in the letter (see James 5:1-5) were too self-confident, too judgmental of other people, and too ready to exploit situations financially (typical Jewish traits). Not sure if the Proverbs passage was also talking about boasting about the Lord prospering them or not, but it is certainly about taking our "boasting in the Lord" too far. The central focus as Christians should not be on us, but Christ in us, and Christ does not abuse others or vaunt Himself over anyone in pride. It's not about how wise we are, or how prosperous we are, or what great gifts we have, or how successful our ministry is. If we enjoy any of those things as Christians, it's only because Christ truly dwells in us, and should never be attributed to our own "greatness" such that we think nothing will ever go wrong tomorrow because we will never fail.