26:1-15
This section is about fools and the silliness that fools generate.
The fool is the one who does not avail themselves of God’s wisdom. The fool is the one who does not listen to others. The fool is the one who thinks they know everything and closes themself off to learning.
Fools do nothing to deserve honour.
Fools rush to make assumptions and judge. The fool may well decide you have done something wrong and curse you for it. Do not worry. The undeserved curse does not stick.
When a fool talks to you, don’t try to set them right or argue for the truth. If you do they will ignore you or argue with you and you will look foolish yourself. But when a fool demands an answer, do it simply to expose his foolishness. And remember, never entrust a message to a foolish person. They will get it wrong.
Be careful not to give trusted roles to a fool.
Be careful not to tell a fool anything confidential.
Be wary of the person convinced of their own greatness. That person is a fool.
Beware also the fool who is lazy.
Instead, seek wisdom, be humble, do not over inflate your abilities but graciously accept what you can do. Most of all seek God and seek to do His will. Then you will be wise.
 

25:16-28
These proverbs speak of self-control, otherwise known as temperance. Temperance is often considered to mean abstinence, but it does not mean that. It means moderation. So these verses speak of self-control and temperance.
There are warnings here to eat moderately, especially when it comes to sweet things, lest we make ourselves sick. Here also is the warning to be temperate in our dealings with others. Particularly to not annoy your friends and neighbours by constant visits and phone calls. Respect your friends and neighbour’s need to have time to themselves.
Remember to heed the warnings on not gossiping or spreading lies about others. That is not an act of self-control and others will not see you as self-controlled either. So avoid that behaviour.
Likewise, the person who double crosses you. The person who quarrels. The person who spread contentions. All these are unpleasant and best avoided. Do not behave that way or people will avoid you.
Be careful to respect those who are sad or feeling down. Listen to them. Do not try to cheer them up or tell them not to be sad or offer one of those awful platitudes people in church communities are often very keen to say. Platitudes like “it is all for the best”.  “It is God’s will”. It may be God’s will but the sad person does not need to hear that. All they hear is you trying to shut them down. Be careful your discomfort does not control your mouth. Be self-controlled. Seek the best for the other person, not your own comfort. If you seek your own comfort you will cause pain to another person and that is not what God wants you to do.
Be gracious to your enemies. This is a hard one. When you are angry and hurt, or you have been wronged in some way, the last thing you want to do is be gracious to another person. But steal yourself and ask God for help. If your enemy is hungry give them food. If your enemy is thirsty give them a drink. By doing this you are heaping blessings from God on their heads. Your goodness in light of their sin against you is a wonderful witness of God’s love and it may have a positive effect on them. By being caring to your enemy you demonstrate forgiveness and please God.
Do not nag those you love or they will prefer to live elsewhere. Everyone deserves peace in their own home. Remember those you love and speak kindly to them. You will bring them peace and comfort to them.
Remember to have courage in your faith. Stand up to the wicked or evil person. If you give in to them you are not better than them and their sin is yours.
Exercise control in all aspects of life. Accept praise and acknowledge the good you do but do not make the pursuit of glory your god.
Remember the importance of self-control. Being without self-control is like being defenceless and disgraced.
 

25:3-15
We find what little we know of God is hard to understand, and rightly so. If we consider each other, we cannot even understand our human neighbour’s mind. But God does.
In following God, aim to free yourself of your own faults but accept the fact you will never be perfect. Surrender to God as He refines you, removing the impurities within you. If you are a leader then surrender constantly to God, not to recognition. Be humble, do not consider yourself above others.
Be careful when interacting with others. Do not rush to assumption making. Listen. Consider carefully all evidence you have gained by talking to many people. Consider carefully what you have heard in light of your knowledge of those people. Seek God’s wisdom in understanding. If you rush to assumption making, you may be humiliated when the truth is revealed as completely different to your assumption.
Remember to never betray another person’s confidence, even when you are arguing and desperate to prove a point. Not only will you have betrayed another, but you will be known as one who cannot be trusted.
The person who keeps their counsel is pleasant to be around and enjoyed. Such a person who exercises patience in negotiations will be rewarded by having her words listened to. But avoid the big talker, all fluff and no substance. That person will never persuade others and will fail in negotiations.
Better to be the wise person, than the vacuous fool.
 

Hi everyone

I am moving house at the moment and will not have the internet next weekend so I will be missing next week and recommence the blog the following week.

May God bless you over the next few weeks.

Nan

25:1-2
These are more sayings of Solomon, revived by Hezekiah, his descendant. Hezekiah led a revival of faith over the Southern Kingdom in the days after the fall of the Northern Kingdom. Hezekiah considered these proverbs were essential guidelines for correct God following behaviour. Our culture may have changed, but the guidelines for following God are timeless.
The first things these proverbs establish is the knowledge that God receives Glory because we do not understand His universe or the way He rules it. No amount of scientific advances can achieve the understanding of God’s universe or the way He rules it. God will always be greater than any knowledge we can acquire.
In Deuteronomy 29:29 we read that secret things, things not known to us, belong to God. There are things He reveals to us and our children that are ours forever. These are revealed so that we may follow Him and all the words of His law. This includes the scientific advances that have been made over the centuries. They are not, as some try to make them, our Tower of Babel that will give us the knowledge of God. They are actually things God has allowed us to know so that we may follow Him closer.
In Job 26:14 Job speaks of things we know about God as the outer fringe of His works. Things that are like a faint whisper because they are just a fragment of what He does and who He is. In addition, we understand so little of what God reveals to us. It is difficult to understand the full extent of God’s might. We have brilliant brains, but they will never match the brilliance of God.
If you have time, read Isaiah 40:12-24 and Romans 11:33-36. They speak with great beauty of God’s greatness. That He is above all.
The correct response to that revelation of God’s might is awe, reverence, worship, knowledge of our own insufficiency, and gratitude at His covering over of our inadequacies (In short, His undeserved favour). It can be easy to forget that, to get caught up in arguments over the interpretation of scripture. But how we interpret the Books of the Bible is irrelevant compared to God and that personal relationship each one of us has with God. A personal relationship that draws us closer to God, and involves us leaving behind the ways of the world to follow Jesus.
As His servants here on earth, it is important to acknowledge that God gives us discernment that we may serve him with wisdom, distinguishing between right and wrong. (1Kings 3:9). He gives us Himself, that we may know Him. He gives us the choice to submit to and follow Him. That is true wisdom.