Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

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The Path of the Righteous Shines Ever Brighter, Prov. 4,

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Proverbs 4

Get Wisdom at Any Cost

 




































1 Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; 
   pay attention and gain understanding. 
2 I give you sound learning, 
   so do not forsake my teaching. 
3 For I too was a son to my father, 
   still tender, and cherished by my mother. 
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me, 
   “Take hold of my words with all your heart; 
   keep my commands, and you will live. 
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; 
   do not forget my words or turn away from them. 
6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; 
   love her, and she will watch over you. 
There is protection in seeking divine wisdom


7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. 
The beginning of wisdom is to value and treasure wisdom.
   Though it cost all you have, get understanding. 
It is worth spending much money, to gain spiritual wisdom
.8 Cherish her, and she will exalt you; 
   embrace her, and she will honor you. 
9 She will give you a garland to grace your head 
   and present you with a glorious crown.”
In normal circumstances, the wisdom which comes from God leads to exaltation, honour and glory.

 10 Listen, my son, accept what I say,
   and the years of your life will be many.
11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom
   and lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
   when you run, you will not stumble. 
God’s wisdom enables one to metaphorically proceed in a straight line without stumbling or tripping.
13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
   guard it well, for it is your life.
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
   or walk in the way of evildoers.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
   turn from it and go on your way.
16 For they cannot rest until they do evil;
   they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
17 They eat the bread of wickedness
   and drink the wine of violence.

 18 The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
   shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
In the normal course of events, the life of the righteous grows from strength to strength–in ever-increasing brightness.
19 But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
   they do not know what makes them stumble.
Sinners find obstacles they do not understand in their paths.
Esv notes–The doctrine of the two ways. A choice between entering the way of wisdom and the way of folly. The path taken will determine the outcome of one’s life.
 20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
   turn your ear to my words.
21 Do not let them out of your sight,
   keep them within your heart;
22 for they are life to those who find them
   and health to one’s whole body.
Following the counsels of wisdom enhance bodily health.
23 Above all else, guard your heart,
   for everything you do flows from it.
Watch your heart. The bitterness or unforgiveness in it. The things in your heart which you might long for more than you long for God. The idols in your heart which consume your thoughts. 

24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
   keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
   fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet

   and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
   keep your foot from evil.
Keep focused. Avoid evil.

When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Proverbs 3

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Klimt, When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Proverbs 3

19 By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations,
   by understanding he set the heavens in place;
20 by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
   and the clouds let drop the dew.
God’s wisdom, understanding and knowledge undergirded the creation of the world.
ESV note–The essential point is that God has built the principles of wisdom into the structure of the world itself; wisdom is the ordering principle by which everything functions and does not devolve into chaos. Thus, when one lives without integrity, one violates the very rules whereby everything is held together.One cannot do this and thrive.
 21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,
   preserve sound judgment and discretion;
22 they will be life for you,
   an ornament to grace your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
   and your foot will not stumble. 
24 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;
One of the covenant blessings!
   when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 
The wisdom, understanding, sound judgment and discretion which God gives to those who ask for them will be life to us, preserving us in safety, giving us sweet sleep.
25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
   or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
26 for the LORD will be at your side
   and will keep your foot from being snared.
God will preserve the wise and understanding, the one with sound judgment and discretion from sudden disaster and ruin, from the traps of man, from sudden disaster and ruin.
 27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
   when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
   “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
   when you already have it with you.
Pay your debts promptly whenever you can.
29 Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
   who lives trustfully near you.
30 Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
   when they have done you no harm.
 31 Do not envy the violent
   or choose any of their ways.
 32 For the LORD detests the perverse
   but takes the upright into his confidence.
The upright often have an intuitive foreknowledge of what God is going to do.
33 The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
   but he blesses the home of the righteous.
34 He mocks proud mockers
   but shows favor to the humble and oppressed.
Psalm 1– The one who is blessed, who prospers in whatever he does, is the one who does not sit in the company of mockers. Mocking–putting people down by saying the opposite of what one means is a form of speech particularly displeasing to God.
35 The wise inherit honor,
   but fools get only shame.
The appeal ends with the reminder that those who walk in wisdom will inherit honour, because the Lord blesses those who walk in humility.

Wisdom is more precious than rubies. Proverbs 3 9-18 Day 29, Jan 29

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Wisdom is more precious than rubies.

Proverbs 3
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth,

   with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
   and your vats will brim over with new wine.


 Many who have tried this, including I myself, can testify that it is true.
It has been narrowly interpreted to mean give to one’s church, but that, of course, is not what it says.
It says honour God by giving some of your wealth to his purposes, to things that he would like. 
And the poor are on God’s heart. His word is on God’s heart. Your local church is also on God’s heart, but giving to it should be balanced with giving to those in desperate need.


11 My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline, 
   and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the LORD disciplines those he loves,
   as a father the son he delights in.

One way of showing our love and care for our children is by disciplining them.
 Similarly, God does put us through seasons of discipline to develop strength of character in us. He also rebukes us through punishing circumstances so that we can stop, drop and repent. 
He does this because he is relentless in seeking to develop strength of character in us. 


 13 Blessed are those who find wisdom,
   those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
   and yields better returns than gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies;
   nothing you desire can compare with her. 
16 Long life is in her right hand;
   in her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways,
   and all her paths are peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
   those who hold her fast will be blessed.

Wisdom: the knowledge of God, the fear of God, the knowledge of his ways, good sense, is worth more than silver, gold and rubies.
It is to sought after in preference to silver, gold and rubies. In preference to wealth.

Wisdom bestows wealth in normal circumstances. The converse is not true.

Conducting one’s life in a wise way, in accordance with divine wisdom gives one riches, and honour, and a long life.
One’s life is likely to be pleasant and peaceful.
For wisdom, like a tree, gives shade and fruit.
Those who cleave to her are blessed. 

Proverbs 2-3, Day 22, Jan 22

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Intercessory Prayer by Ruth Palmer

   


Proverbs 2 


16   Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, 
   from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
17 who has left the partner of her youth
   and ignored the covenant she made before God.
18 Surely her house leads down to death
   and her paths to the spirits of the dead.
19 None who go to her return
   or attain the paths of life.

 20 Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
   and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,
   and the blameless will remain in it;
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
   and the unfaithful will be torn from it.

Wisdom saves from sexual temptation–and from seductive words which might lure you into other temptations too.


Proverbs 3
1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
   but keep my commands in your heart,

2 for they will prolong your life many years
   and bring you peace and prosperity.

Wisdom, under normal circumstances, prolongs life, and brings peace, and, under normal circumstances again, wealth.
3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
   bind them around your neck,
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favor and a good name
   in the sight of God and man.

 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart 
ESV: Not just intellectual assent, but a deep reliance on the Lord, a settled confidence in his care, and his faithfulness

   and lean not on your own understanding; 
Trust in God like you trust in a mountain guide, or in an airline pilot. Implicitly.  In calm and turbulence. Trust him even when the way he is working out your life seems senseless to you.
Subordinating your understanding to God is in line with a major thesis of Proverbs, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
6 in all your ways submit to him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

He does sort out one’s destiny, step by step, as one obeys him–in the darkness sometimes!!
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
   fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body
   and nourishment to your bones.

This is an amazing observation. Shunning evil will bring health to your body, and nourishment to your bones. 

For me,  involvement even in low-level “evil,” –serious conflict, sniping, anger, unforgiveness can bring on colds, digestive problems, trouble sleeping–and these are just short term manifestations!!

Is it true that shunning evil will bring us physical health? Well, we lose nothing by trying it!!





Proverbs 2 1-15, Day 16, Jan 16

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I, Wisdom, was with the Lord, when the world was created

Proverbs 2

 1 My son, if you accept my words 
   and store up my commands within you, 
2 turning your ear to wisdom 
   and applying your heart to understanding— 
3 indeed, if you call out for insight 
   and cry aloud for understanding, 
4 and if you look for it as for silver 
   and search for it as for hidden treasure, 
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD 
   and find the knowledge of God. 


Seeking wisdom, understanding, insight desperately will teach you to KNOW God, and will teach you the fear of God which will save you from much folly.

6 For the LORD gives wisdom; 
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. 
The Lord gives us wisdom, and he also gives us knowledge and understanding.

7 He holds success in store for the upright, 
He often gives the upright success, according to his plans for them.

   he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 
8 for he guards the course of the just 
   and protects the way of his faithful ones.
He protects those whose walk is blameless.

 9 Then you will understand what is right and just
   and fair—every good path. 
If you desperately seek wisdom, you gain the understanding of what is right and just and fair.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 
Wisdom and knowledge will grow sweet and pleasant to you.
11 Discretion will protect you,
   and understanding will guard you.
 12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men,
   from men whose words are perverse,
13 who have left the straight paths
   to walk in dark ways,
14 who delight in doing wrong
   and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
15 whose paths are crooked
   and who are devious in their ways.
Wisdom and discretion will protect you from wicked, perverse, devious people. Thank you, Lord. 

Wisdom Calls Out, Proverbs 1: 20:23. Day 8, Jan 8

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Wisdom Calls Out

Proverbs 1 20-23


 20 Out in the open, wisdom calls aloud, 
   she raises her voice in the public square; 
21 on top of the wall she cries out, 
   at the city gate she makes her speech:

 22 “How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
   How long will mockers delight in mockery
   and fools hate knowledge?
23 Repent at my rebuke!
   Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
   I will make known to you my teachings. 

How long will mockers delight in mockery?
1 Blessed is the one
   who does not sit in the company of mockers
so begins Psalm 1. 
I tend to think that God despises mockery because is it is the opposite of his nature. He is straight-forward, he says what he thinks, and says it straight.
Mockery says what you do not believe, as when Pilate jests to the King of Kings who stands before him  brutalized, bleeding, degraded and dehumanized  “So you are a King?”
There is something a bit evil about it. Is it a refuge of cowards? Or of the stupid and inarticulate who cannot find the right words to express their emotion. I know that when I am so angry that words fail me (!!!) I resort to mockery. 
Irony, satire and allegory are powerful weapons in the writer’s arsenal, so I need to think this out thoroughly. 
 Repent at my rebuke!
   Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
   I will make known to you my teachings. 

As repentance is a pathway into the Kingdom of God, it is a pathway into wisdom and knowledge. 
God holds mockers in disdain, and will not reveal his thoughts and teachings to them. Repentance, ongoing daily repentance opens the door to knowing God’s thoughts and teachings. 

Proverbs 1, 10-19, Day 6, Jan 6

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10 My son, if sinful men entice you,
   do not give in to them.
11 If they say, “Come along with us;
   let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
   let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12 let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
   and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13 we will get all sorts of valuable things
   and fill our houses with plunder;
14 cast lots with us;
   we will all share the loot”—
15 my son, do not go along with them,
   do not set foot on their paths;
16 for their feet rush into evil,
   they are swift to shed blood.
17 How useless to spread a net
   where every bird can see it!
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood;
   they ambush only themselves!
19 Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
   it takes away the life of those who get it.
Do not harm an innocent person for any gain to yourself, whether in status, position, or wealth.

Though you may get away with it in the short run, in the long run, you only ambush yourself. What you have gained unrighteously will harm you.

How will this work out? Because, contrary to appearances sometimes, this world is in the hands of a just Judge, who loves justice, and who, as Paul says in Galatians, will ensure that men reap what they sow. 

Proverbs 1 7-9 The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Knowledge. Day 4. Jan 4th.

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Proverbs 1 7-9
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.


The fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of wisdom. It puts natural boundaries around us, and safeguards us from much that is destructive–and from its consequences.  The fear of the Lord preserves us from learning about the foolishness and the acrid fruits of sin in the bitter school of trial and error. 


Discipline. Something I have both craved and struggled with all my life. Interestingly, psychotherapist Scott Peck in his perennial best-seller, The Road Less Travelled, talks about discipline–deferring gratification–as the foundation of a decent human life. As parents, we have a dual burden: to discipline ourselves, and to teach self-discipline to our children so that they realize the value of their lives, their time and themselves, and later instinctively practice it. 

8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 9 They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.