Prepare
Opening Prayer
Thank God for his Word and ask the Spirit to teach, watch over, guide, and lead us in his paths.
Read
Scripture Passage
Proverbs 29:1-8
A — About
What Is This Passage About?
These proverbs warn against rejecting correction, wicked rule, immorality, bribes, flattery, transgression, neglecting the poor, and stirring up strife. They commend righteous authority, faithful love, mercy, rejoicing in righteousness, and the harder but blessed work of peacemaking.
B — Best Verse
A Verse That Summarizes the Passage
Proverbs 29:8
Distilled from the devotional exposition; the speaker did not explicitly name a best verse.
scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise men turn away wrath.
The transcript contains no explicit best-verse selection. Verse 8 directly supplies the title's contrast: scoffers can easily ignite destructive conflict, while wisdom is required to turn wrath away and make peace.
C — Called or Christ
C — Called to Do & Christ Connection
Listen humbly to correction, practice mercy toward the poor, refuse flattery and needless conflict, and pursue the difficult work of peacemaking. Rejoice in Jesus Christ, the righteous King and true Peacemaker, whose righteousness is given to his people.
Devotional Study
Transcript of the devotion. Minor transcription errors may remain.
We're at Proverbs chapter 29 verses 1 through 8. Good evening, good evening. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every day we get together, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2021, we will make it through all the wisdom literature. Well, tonight we're at Proverbs chapter 29 verses 1 through 8.
Just up late, getting a head start on cooking things for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feast. Gonna have some friends over for that. Why don't we have some coffee, pray, and we'll get into God's Word together before we go to bed tonight. Let's pray. Oh Father, we thank you so much for your word and we pray now that your spirit would teach us. Please, Lord, watch over us and guide us, lead us in your paths. In Jesus' name, amen.
Here you go, Proverbs chapter 29, verses 1 through 8. He who is often rebuked and hardens his neck will suddenly be destroyed. And that without remedy. Listen to a rebuke. someone brings something to you that they think needs to be addressed, listen to it. The Lord calls his people time and time and time again in the Old Testament, stiff-necked people. Because he would try to turn them towards his way and they'd, no, they're stiff-necked, they won't move, they won't turn. If someone rebukes you, turn. Because eventually correction's gonna come. Verse two.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice. But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. The righteous rule, there's rejoicing. The wicked rule, there's groaning. Interestingly enough, I find this in our own society sometimes and as I study world culture and things. This isn't necessarily always an absolute truism in our experience because it seems like the wicked sure do rejoice when the wicked are ruling, but they only rejoice for a time and eventually they groan under the authoritarian weight of their own despots or corrupt leaders. Verse three, whoever loves wisdom makes his father rejoice. But a companion of harlots hates wealth." If you love God, if you want to make your father happy, stay away from the immoral woman.
I did. Preserve your wealth. Preserve your family. Verse 4. The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it. If you're going to want a nation that is established in righteousness, then we get land by righteous ways. But when the nation seeks to prosper by immorality, only wickedness comes from it, only heartache, only destruction. It's no good.
Verse five. A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet. Don't flatter people. I'm not saying that you need to be a jerk and not care about people's feelings. But the reality is, if you're just saying things that aren't true because you want to somehow make yourself better, you're setting a net for your own feet. Eventually you're going to stumble. Eventually you're going to fall. And people are going to figure out you're a fraud. And it's only going to come and bite you in the butt. Verse 6.
By transgression an evil man is snared, but the righteous sings and rejoices." We sing and we rejoice when we do righteousness. The reality is though that I know that I fall short of the righteousness of God. And yet the Lord gives us a spirit to rejoice in him. to rejoice that we have a righteousness not our own, but a righteousness that comes from God alone. What a great thing to be thankful for, to sing about, to rejoice in. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say, rejoice.
Verse seven, the righteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand such knowledge. Reminds me of the book of James when he says about the man who comes and he's he's telling his brother about all the Needs he has how he doesn't have any clothes and he's poor and he's cold and the man just says I'm gonna pray for you go and be in peace No, no, that's a hold on right Jesus came and he showed mercy We should likewise show kindness and mercy. We should love our neighbor we should Act like the good Samaritan. Verse 8, scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise men turn away wrath.
It's really easy to pick a fight. It's really easy to tear down a house. It's really easy to make people fight against one another. It's a lot harder. It takes a lot more wisdom to know how to turn away someone's wrath. It takes a lot of wisdom to know how to work through and be a peacemaker. It's really easy to be a bully. It's really easy to push people's big red buttons. It's a lot harder to bring peace.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for giving us our king, our peacemaker, our one to rejoice in Jesus Christ. We pray that you would fill our hearts with thanksgiving tonight, and that we might know how gracious you have been to us. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, may the Lord bless you tonight. May you have a great night's sleep. May you rest in Jesus Christ, and I'll see you tomorrow. Bye.