Read Reflect In some parts of the world today it is not possible to do business without kickbacks or travel from place to place without slipping the authorities a bribe. Corruption is not just endemic, it’s normal and our reading tells us it’s been around a long, long time. Every year Transparency International produces a […]
Read More corruption, bribery, integrityRead Reflect The indiscriminate pursuit of wealth is problematic, and a thread throughout the Bible. And more often than not there are repercussions for the wicked who exploit their economic power unfairly. In contrast the “loyal people”, the “fair people” and the “unselfish people” can expect blessing. It’s a “them” and “us” thing. Now look […]
Read More wealth, generosity, integrityRead Reflect The idea of honouring your mother and father loomed large in the Hebrew imagination. It is specifically commanded in the Torah (the first five books of the bible) (Exodus 20:12). So the idea of robbing them blind (v 24) would be shocking to a listener of the time. And today, we can appreciate […]
Read More trust, father, mother, stuffRead Reflect Righteous is not a word we use in everyday speech. And because it’s a word that appears regularly in many English translations of the Bible you might be inclined to think of it as purely spiritual language. In our reading in the CEV version, the translation in verse 28 is good not righteous. […]
Read More justice, righteous, generosityRead Reflect Sometimes the sequence of verses in Proverbs makes it seem that the author did some random cut and pasting. You’d be forgiven for thinking that about today’s reading. It swings back and forth from dire warnings about bad personal behavior to the implications of corrupt actions by ruling elites. Few if any of […]
Read More consequences, Holy SpiritRead Reflect Tucked at the end of a now familiar litany calling for justice and a right attitude to the poor is a piercing metaphor about people who sneer (or mock or scoff) at others (v 8). We know that wildfires destroy vast tracts of land and can engulf villages and towns, razing property and […]
Read More fire, evil, tongue, sparkRead Reflect The Book of Proverbs is what theologians call wisdom literature. Other examples are the Books of Job and Ecclesiastes. They are there to offer sage advice about how to live well and in relation to God but you are left to work out the detail yourself. In Proverbs the advice often emerges by […]
Read More wisdom, controversy, self-control, quietRead Reflect The Book of Proverbs is normally attributed to King Solomon (probably with some bits added from elsewhere) who was a divinely appointed, absolute monarch. The point of v14 is that there is a permanent ethical responsibility for the king to treat people generally, and the poor in particular, justly. Through the timeline of […]
Read More justice, king, poorRead Reflect Google the top ten list on the Book of Proverbs and 29:18 will probably feature along with “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (3:5). Verse 18 is commonly quoted as “where there is no vision, the people perish’” from the KJV. I doubt if […]
Read More God’s perspective, sound ethics, principlesRead Reflect Holding your hands up and admitting you’ve done wrong when you’re called out is not easy. It puts a dent in your pride and teaches you a lesson about avoiding the misdemeanor in future. It becomes even harder when you’re not the perpetrator but you keep quiet about someone else’s misdeeds. The sense […]
Read More justice, integrity, falsehood, source